


Left on the Sidelines // Nash Overstreet

by earthtodanielle



Category: Hot Chelle Rae
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 18:14:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 80,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16897536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthtodanielle/pseuds/earthtodanielle
Summary: Before being sent to live with her cousins in Franklin, Tennessee to get used to the city before she started college, Danielle's parents told her not to date anyone so she could focus on school, but what happens when she realizes her cousins are in Hot Chelle Rae and meets their guitarist?Started October 5th, 2012Completed July 5th, 2014





	1. I Must be Dreaming

-Danielle-

Here I am: Just turned 17 and being shipped off to live with my cousins in a town just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. My parents wanted me to, in their words, 'Get used to living in Nashville before I start college in two years'. They've always had this dream of me going to Vanderbilt University for business. Which, if you think about it, is kind of funny considering I'm not at all interested in pursuing a career in business. I'm more of a hands-on kind of person.

I don't want a 9 to 5 job where I have to sit in some cramped office cubicle and change toner or refill paper in a printer God knows how many times a day. I don't want that. I want to get out – be able to explore everything. It's always been my dream to be a photographer.

My parents – and no one in my family, really – seem to understand that. They're all about business and being on schedule and following the same boring routine day after day after day. Call me crazy, but I want my life to have excitement. I don't want to know exactly what I'll be doing or where I'll be going the next day. I just want to do it. No limitations, no schedule, no routine – just me, my camera, and wherever my feet take me.

Anyway, enough about that. I don't want to bore you with all this talk about the future I don't want. Let's get to right now, and right now is at the Indianapolis International Airport.

"You're gonna have fun," my mom said, pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my head.

"Yeah, being transferred to a high school in a totally different state to work up to a career that I don't even want is certainly what I'd consider fun," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Now, I don't want you giving your aunt and uncle any trouble," my dad said, pulling me in for a hug as well.

"I got it, I got it," I mumbled, "But something about going to live with people I haven't seen since I was 5 for the next two years of my life just doesn't really appeal to me."

"Flight 263 to Nashville, now boarding," a woman's voice said over the intercom.

"We'll see you on Thanksgiving and Christmas when we come down to visit, alright?" my mom said, handing me my carry-on bag.

I muttered a thank you and nodded, walking off to the gate and handing the lady there my ticket. I turned back around, smiling lightly and waving goodbye to my parents before walking through a hallway and stepping onto the plane and finding my seat, leaving this small town in Indiana for city life of Nashville.

~

Title: "I Must Be Dreaming" by The Maine


	2. She's so Lost in Stereo

-Danielle-

I sat there, trying desperately to untangle the cord of my headphones with no luck whatsoever.

"You look like you could use a little help," a small red-haired girl sitting next to me giggled.

I sighed, but soon started laughing along, "Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda," she smiled, taking the headphones out of my hands. She untangled them with no problem and quickly handed them back to me.

I stared at her in shock, "How did you do that?"

"It happens to me a lot," she shrugged, sticking her hand out to me, "I'm Katia."

I looked at her hand for a moment before I grabbed it and smiled once again, "Danielle."

"So, Danielle, what are you headed to Nashville for?" Katia asked.

"School," I sighed, "You?"

"Same," she answered, "My mom says I should get used to living in Nashville before I start college, so it won't seem all that bad."

"Sounds like exactly what my parents said," I laughed, trying to find a song I wanted to listen to on my iPod.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Katia said, taking my iPod out of my hand. She scrolled back up the song list and looked at me, "You like Demi Lovato?"

"Like her?" I giggled, "I love her!"

She scrolled through all the artists and suddenly said, "You like the Jonas Brothers too?" I nodded and she handed my iPod back to me, "That's it. We're officially best friends."

"Wow, I made a friend in Nashville and the plane hasn't even taken off yet," I laughed.

Katia threw her arm around my shoulder and smiled, "That only means it's the start of a beautiful friendship!" Suddenly, I felt someone sit next to me.

"Hi!" a girl with light brown hair smiled at Katia and I, "I'm Jenna."

"I'm Danielle and this is Katia," I smiled back.

"Don't tell us you're going to Nashville for school too," Katia said.

"I am, actually," Jenna laughed, "I'm hoping to make something of myself in as a singer."

"Oh, well, we'd love to hear you some time," I smiled again.

"Sure, that would be great! Where will you guys be staying?" Jenna asked.

"Well, I'm staying with my cousins," I replied.

"I'm staying with my aunt until my mom gets to Nashville," Katia answered.

"Hey, maybe if you're good, we could start a band," I joked, "I'm hoping to learn how to play guitar while I'm there."

"That would be fun," Katia grinned, "I've always wanted to learn how to play drums."

"We just need to find a bass player and we're ready to go," I giggled.

"I think I know the perfect person for that," Jenna grinned, "But you should probably learn how to play those before we get too serious about this."

"Pessimism will get you no where in life," Katia jokingly lectured, making Jenna and I laugh like idiots.

"Good morning, everyone. We're about to take off. Please put your seatbelts on and turn off all electronic devices until further notice," the pilot said over the speaker. Everyone started putting everything away and buckling their seatbelts before the plane took off a couple minutes later.

~

After about 3 hours of goofing off, our plane finally landed at the Nashville International Airport. We filed out of the plane and went to find our bags. I suddenly began to feel nervous and Katia and Jenna could tell.

"What's wrong?" Katia asked.

I sighed, "It's just... I haven't seen my cousins since I was 5. What if they hate me?"

"They won't hate you," Jenna replied, "If you came across as a mean person, you wouldn't have made two new friends today."

I smiled and hugged her, "Thanks. Well, I guess I better go find them."

"Hey, we'll come with you. We all have to go that way anyway," Katia giggled.

We grabbed our bags and started walking toward the doors when we heard someone yell, "Danielle!" We spun around and saw a woman rushing up to us before she pulled me into a hug, "I haven't seen you since you were a little girl!"

"Um, hi," I trailed off as she let go of me.

"I'm sorry," she smiled, "I forgot you might not remember me. I'm-"

She was cut off by Katia and Jenna, "Adrienne Follese."

I looked at them, "What?"

"Do you not realize who your cousins are?!" Katia shouted. I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head.

"Anna, Ryan, and Jamie Follese?!" Jenna yelled, throwing her hands in the air. I raised my eyebrow.

"You've really never heard of Hot Chelle Rae?" Katia asked in disbelief.

I shook my head, "No..."

"Mrs. Follese, will you please put on some of their music on your way home?" Jenna giggled.

"Sure thing," Adrienne smiled, "We do have to get going though. It was nice meeting you girls, and don't be strangers. Any friends of Danielle's are friends of ours." I quickly exchanged numbers with Jenna and Katia, hugging them goodbye and picking up my bag and walking outside with Adrienne. "You seem nervous," she said as we climbed into her car.

"What are they like? Ryan, Jamie, and Anna?" I asked.

Adrienne smiled, starting the engine and pulling out onto the highway, "They're going to love you, if that's what you're worried about. You were always Jamie's favorite cousin."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ever since you could walk, you and Jamie were basically attached at the hip. You two did everything together. He was devastated when your parents told us you were moving to Indiana. Even though he was only 6 when you left, I can't really say it doesn't still bother him," she answered.

"So what's Ryan like? I mean, he's at least 6 years older than me, isn't he?"

"Oh, he loved you too, just not as much as Jamie," she laughed lightly, "He started a band about 6 years ago with three of his friends. They changed drummers a few years ago, so Jamie's in the band as well now. They haven't really gotten popular yet – except with your two friends, of course – but they're not giving up."

I smiled slightly, "And what about Anna?"

Adrienne laughed, "She would live at the gym if we'd let her. She's very into sports, and also very supportive of anyone and everyone she meets." I nodded and looked out the window, beginning to play with my fingers. "They all loved you, you have absolutely nothing to worry about," Adrienne said after a while.

"Do they know I'm here?" I asked randomly.

"Nope, I wanted them to be surprised – especially Jamie," she smiled.

"How could you have kept it a secret? I mean, I'm living with you for two years," I giggled lightly.

"They know someone's coming to live with us, they just don't know it's you. Believe me, it was really hard for your Uncle Keith and I to keep this from them," Adrienne smiled again.

~

After another 5 minutes, Adrienne pulled into a driveway, "Home, sweet home." The nerves hit again as we made our way to the front door. Adrienne opened the door and yelled, "We're back!" I heard footsteps coming down the staircase and a tall boy with jet black hair, a girl about the same height with dark brown hair, and a boy only a little taller than me, with dark brown hair all stared at me.

"Hi..." I said nervously, slightly waving at them.

"This is your cousin," Adrienne said when they still didn't say anything.

"Yeah," the brown-haired boy said, "But I feel like I recognize her..." Then a man I could only assume was Keith walked in from around the corner and rested his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"You know, Adrienne," he chuckled lightly, "I would think they would've immediately known it was Danielle." All three of them looked at Keith, then back at me. The brown-haired boy didn't say anything before running over to me and hugging me tightly.

"You must be Jamie," I choked, but giggled and hugged him back.

"Actually," he pulled back, "I'm Anna." I looked at him and grinned widely as the tall boy walked over.

"Don't confuse the poor girl, Jamicles," he said sarcastically, then turned to me. "I feel weird introducing myself to my own cousin," he laughed, "Hi, I'm Ryan, but everyone calls me RK."

"Hi," I said quietly, smiling as he hugged me as well.

"So you're Jamie?" I asked Anna jokingly.

She laughed loudly, hugging me, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Alright, my turn," Keith chuckled, hugging me as well.

"Hey, Uncle Keith," I giggled, "Wow, I'm getting a lot of hugs today!"

~

Title: "Lost In Stereo" by All Time Low


	3. The City Comes Alive When We're Together

-Danielle-

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked as Adrienne, Anna, and I were unpacking my things in the guest bedroom.

"I've got basketball practice and the boys have plans with the rest of their band, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind you tagging along," Anna replied.

Before I could say anything, Jamie walked in, "Hey, Mom. Ryan and I are heading off to meet with the guys. Danielle, would you want to come with us?"

I turned to face him and shrugged, "Sure, but only because I'm your favorite cousin."

"Mom," he groaned.

"What? You two were inseparable and you know it," Adrienne laughed, "Have fun and don't get Danielle in too much trouble on her first night here!"

"Are you sure you don't mind me leaving, Aunt Adrienne? I can help finish unpacking if you need me to," I said.

"It's alright, dear. We're almost done anyway. Make sure you keep those boys in line," she smiled.

"Yes, ma'am," I smiled and walked out with Jamie. "So your band – are you any good?" I asked as we got into Ryan's car.

"I guess so," Ryan shrugged, backing out of the driveway.

"We just haven't made it big yet," Jamie added.

"What are the other guys in your band like?" I asked.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Ryan chuckled, making a right.

"Only when I move to a city with people I haven't seen in over 10 years," I replied.

"You've lived here before, you were just too young to really remember anything," Ryan said, sticking his tongue out at me in the rear view mirror.

I rolled my eyes and Jamie shook his head, snickering, "They're both pretty laid back. Ian, our bass player, is a huge fan of motorcycles and photography."

"Photography, huh? Sounds like my kinda guy," I laughed.

Jamie chuckled and continued, "And our guitar player, Nash... How would you describe Nash?" he asked Ryan.

"Nash is Nash," Ryan answered.

"That's a really in-depth description," I said sarcastically. Ryan pulled into a parking lot and I looked around, noticing we were at an arcade. "I remember coming here all the time when we were little!" I said excitedly as we got out of the car.

"I remember you beating RK at every game in here too," Jamie chuckled.

"Hey, bro!" Ryan said loudly, "She was only 5. I let her win."

"Yeah, I bet you did," I giggled.

"Well, we've still got about 10 minutes before Ian and Nash get here, why don't we just revisit some of these games?" Ryan smirked.

"Bring it on, Follese!" I yelled, laughing.

~

About 10 minutes later, Ryan and I were battling for the winning point in air hockey when someone said, "Hey, guys." Ryan got distracted for a split second, giving me the opportunity to score the winning point.

I threw my arms up and yelled, "Yes! Victory is mine!"

"No fair! Nash distracted me!" Ryan yelled in shock.

"12 years later and I've still got it," I did a little dance, making everyone else laugh loudly. Jamie tackled me with a hug, high-fiving me when he let go.

"So, uh, who's this?" a guy with black hair, kind of like Ryan's, asked.

I jumped onto Jamie's back, "Jamiebear's favorite cousin!"

"Why haven't we ever heard about your favorite cousin, Jamiebear?" a guy with short reddish-orange hair smirked.

"I haven't seen her since I was 6. I didn't even recognize her when she got to our house," Jamie rolled his eyes, holding me up as he and the guys walked over to another game.

"So she's the one staying with you?" the short-haired guy asked with a grin.

"No, it's the other cousin I haven't seen in over 10 years," Jamie replied, rolling his eyes again.

"It could be my brother," I said, finally jumping off of Jamie's back, "You never know."

"Hi," the boy with black hair said, sticking his hand out to me, "I'm Ian."

I took his hand and smiled, "Danielle," then turned to the red-haired boy. "You must be Nash," I smiled at him, but he just stared at me. I leaned onto Jamie and whispered, "Is he okay?"

"I told you: Nash is Nash," Ryan chuckled.

Ian elbowed Nash's side and said, "Stop staring at her, Overstreet. You're freaking her out."

Nash shook his head and laughed nervously, "What are you talking about? I wasn't staring at her."

"Overstreet?" I asked, slightly shocked, "Are you-"

Nash cut me off, rolling his eyes, but smiling, "Yes, Chord is my brother."

"How did you-"

"They always ask."

"Can I at least-"

"Finish your sentences? No," he smiled again.

I smiled back at him and Ryan said, "Alright, you two. Stop flirting. Let's go get something to eat."

I rolled my eyes, "We weren't flirting."

I jumped onto Jamie's back again, "I hope you don't mind carrying me everywhere, Jamiebear."

"I've got 12 years to make up for not carrying you," he chuckled, "You might never have to walk again."

"That's what I was hoping for," I giggled.

~

Title: "For Baltimore" by All Time Low


	4. I Know We Only Met, but Let's Pretend It's Love

-Nash-

"So tell us about yourself, Miss Danielle" I said as we sat down at a table in a local pizza place.

"Well, what do you want to know, Mr. Nash?" Danielle smiled.

"Everything. Full name, age, birthday, favorite color, social security number..." I trailed off as she laughed.

"Alright. Let's see... My full name is Danielle Nicole Myers, I'm 17-years-old, my birthday is August 20th, my favorite color is purple, and I don't know my social security number by heart. Sorry," she winked.

I don't know what it was about this girl, but she didn't seem like everyone else. When she smiled at me, the butterflies in my stomach would go crazy.

Wait. What am I even saying? I'm Nash Overstreet. I don't do relationships. But I wouldn't mind being in a relationship with her...

"So why are you in Nashville?" Ian asked.

Danielle breathed in deeply, then let it out, "Um..."

"I guess it's a touchy subject?" he said, obviously regretting asking her.

"No, it's fine. I just haven't really ever talked about it," she answered.

"You don't have to tell us," Jamie said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her head.

Why couldn't that be me? Why did she have to be so close with Jamie?

She looked at Jamie and smiled, "It's cool. Ever since I started school, my parents have talked about me going to Vanderbilt for college."

"So why'd you move? I mean, why didn't you just stay here if you were planning on coming back anyway?" Ryan asked.

Danielle shrugged, "They said they didn't want me 'involving myself with musicians' or something like that."

"That seems pretty stupid considering you were planning on going to college back here," Jamie remarked.

"Well, they told me you were in a band," she said, looking at Jamie and Ryan, "They said you guys would make sure I didn't get involved, I guess."

"Oh, yeah, because we're the perfect people to do that," Ryan said sarcastically.

Danielle laughed, "You won't have to convince me much. Been there, done that. Dated a few musicians before. None ended well. Never again." My heart immediately sank.

I guess I was just going to have to try a little harder to be her boyfriend.

"So what are you majoring in?" Jamie asked, changing the subject.

"Business," Danielle sighed.

"You don't sound entirely thrilled about it," I commented.

"Probably because I'm not," she replied with a small laugh, "I mean, I love math, but I don't want a career with it."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Ian asked.

"Honestly, I would love to be a photographer or play guitar in a band of my own. The freedom to be as creative as I want just fascinates me."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Ian cheered, high-fiving her. She laughed and he said, "Maybe I could give you a few pointers. You know, work with you on your photography sometime or something."

"I would love you forever," she teased.

Here I go again: Wishing she would say that to me.

"Me and Nash could teach you how to play guitar or something too," Ryan said.

"Really?" she asked, hopefully.

"Yeah! We'd love to! Wouldn't we, Nash?"

"What?" I asked, snapping out of my daydream, "Oh, yeah! That would be fun."

"We're gonna be great friends," Danielle smiled at all of us.

Friends. That's just wonderful.

~

We had all finished eating and were about to walk back out to our cars when Danielle said, "Who wants to carry me?"

"Not it!" Ryan, Ian, and Jamie yelled before I could even blink.

"Wait, I wasn't paying attention!" I shouted.

"That's probably because you were too busy thinking about your new crush," Ryan said, walking out of the restaurant. I mumbled, then felt Danielle jump on my back.

"Aw, Nashy's got a crush on someone!" she sang, "Who is it?"

"I don't have a crush on anyone," I shrugged nervously as I held her up, hoping she didn't notice.

"Liar," she smiled, "You're nervous as hell."

"How would you know?" I asked as I walked out.

"I'm a girl. We can just tell. Plus, your heart's beating really fast," she giggled, "Who is she? Or he – I don't judge."

I chuckled, "Well, I'll just tell you it's definitely a girl, but I'm not saying anything else."

"Well, will you at least tell me one more thing?" she asked.

"Depends on what it is," I replied.

"Do I know her?"

"You haven't even been in Nashville for 24 hours, who could you possibly know?" I laughed.

"I know a few people," she said, "Just tell me!"

"Fine! Yes, you know her." We reached Ryan's car and Danielle jumped off of me.

As I opened the car door for her, she giggled quietly, "Thanks for the ride, Nash." She kissed my cheek and climbed into the car and I closed the door, a grin slowly making itself known on my face. Ryan and Jamie were staring at me when I looked up at them.

"Don't even think about it," Jamie whispered before opening his own door and getting into the car. Ryan shook his head and hopped into the driver's seat, starting his car and pulling away just a few seconds later. I turned around and finally noticed Ian standing there.

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" I asked.

"If Ryan and Jamie have anything to say about it, you're screwed," he replied. We got into his car and as he drove, he said, "I know you, Nash. I just don't want this to end up like every other time. Danielle is a really nice girl. I, and I know Ryan and Jamie, don't want to see her get hurt."

I sighed, but didn't say anything. I knew he was right. I was known as the guy who's never really had a steady relationship. It's always been one-time things that usually involved me being drunk. But this time, I was completely sober and thinking clearly. Danielle will be my girlfriend, no matter how much I have to fight for her.

~

Title: "Live While We're Young" by One Direction


	5. Forget the Romance, This is What Music Was Created For

-Danielle-

When I woke up the next morning, I smelled something cooking downstairs. I rubbed my eyes and got up, putting on my glasses and dragging my feet down the steps and into the kitchen.

"Morning, sleepy head," I heard Adrienne's smile.

"Morning, Aunt Adrienne," I said, groggily. I looked over and noticed everyone else sitting at the kitchen table. "Oh, hey," I said, sitting down.

"She gets 'Morning, Aunt Adrienne' and all we get is 'Oh, hey'?" Ryan chuckled.

I rolled by eyes, "Morning, Uncle Keith. Morning, Anna. Morning, Jamie. Morning, Ryan. Better?"

"Much better," Ryan smiled.

"You know," Keith said, "I think you're the only one who calls him Ryan."

"Doesn't seem to bother him that much," I shrugged.

"When she starts using my middle name with it, that's when I'll start worrying," he smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him and he gladly returned it.

"Can someone come help me with these plates?" Adrienne asked.

"I got it," I said, jumping out of my chair.

"Oh, that's alright. One of my kids can do it," she said as I walked over to her.

"Believe me, if this was my house, I wouldn't do it either," I smiled, "But you're letting me stay here until I leave for college, so the least I can do is help around the house." I grabbed some forks as well and Adrienne and I carried the plates of waffles over to the table, then sat down. Ryan looked at me and I smiled innocently, "Oh, it seems that I have forgotten your fork, Ryan. You should probably go get one unless you want syrup all over your hands." I took a bite of my waffle, "This is good."

"I don't remember you being this mean," Ryan said, trying not to smile.

"I was 5," I smirked, "I've grown up a little since then, Ryan Ke-"

"I'm getting it, I'm getting it! No need for the middle name!" he said, quickly getting up and getting his fork. I smiled at him as he sat back down, taking a sip of my orange juice. He rolled his eyes, but laughed, and we all continued eating.

~

"So-" Ryan looked at me when we were finished eating, "-the band has a show tonight, would you want to come hang out?"

I shrugged, "As long as my ears won't start bleeding, sure."

"12 years certainly does a lot to a person," Jamie chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm a lot better looking than I was when I was 5," I smirked.

"I don't know about that one," Ryan commented. I stuck my tongue out at him again before excusing myself from the table to go get dressed.

~

Later that day, I was doodling in my notebook when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

"It's open!" I called. The door opened and I smiled, "Jamiebear! What's up?"

He chuckled at his nickname and said, "Ryan and I were just about to head to soundcheck. Do you want to come?"

"Why not?" I shrugged, "I've got nothing to do." I closed my notebook and grabbed my phone, walking out behind Jamie.

~

-Ryan-

When we got to soundcheck, Nash and Ian were already there.

"Hey, Danielle!" Ian said happily, giving her a hug.

"Do you always hug on the second day?" she giggled.

"Nope, just you," he jokingly winked at her.

She smiled, "I feel loved," then turned to Nash, "Do you hug on the second day, too, or does me being loved end with you?" He shook his head and chuckled, but hugged her tightly. "You should really get your heart checked out," Danielle laughed when they stopped hugging, "I don't think it's normal for them to beat that fast." She turned back to Jamie and I, "Well, I'll be over there if you need me," and skipped away.

When she was out of hearing range, I looked at Nash, "I'm serious, man. Don't try anything."

"Since when do you decide who I can and can't date?" he asked defensively.

"Since I know your reputation. You can't keep a stable relationship when you go out after every show, get drunk, and take God knows who back to your apartment. You know just as well as the rest of us that you're just going to end up hurting her, and I'm not going to let that happen," I said bluntly and walked away.

"Don't you think you were a little too harsh on him?" I heard Jamie ask.

"Whatever, it was the truth," I mumbled.

"Who says we can stop them from dating? We're not her parents, man. If she wants to date him, she's going to date him."

"I'm just trying to protect her, Jamie! She's sensitive. She won't be able to handle what could happen."

"Look, RK. I don't want her dating him any more than you do, but we can't stop them. She has to date guys that aren't right for her until she finds the one that is," Jamie said before walking over to his drums. I looked over at Danielle and saw Nash sitting with her, his guitar in her lap.

I walked over and heard Danielle whine, "This is hopeless! I'm never going to get this!"

"You're not going to go complete rockstar in 5 minutes, Danielle," Nash laughed, "These things take time. If I gave up learning how to play the first time I tried, do you really think I'd be in a band?"

"I guess not," she mumbled.

He put his arm around her and hugged her, "Exactly! You're going to get it, you just have to be patient."

She got up after quietly thanking Nash and sighed, "I need a Coke... Hey, Ryan," she said when she saw me, then walked by.

"I'm not happy about you dating her," I said before Nash could say anything, "But just know that if you hurt her, I won't hesitate to kick your ass."

"So I can ask her out?" Nash asked hopefully.

"Fine," I sighed, "But I'm serious about what I'll do if you hurt her."

"Thank you, man!" Nash jumped up and hugged me tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You can let go now," I choked.

"Sorry," he said, letting go, "I promise I won't hurt her. I promise."

"Whatever," I muttered, walking away.

"So when does this thing start?" I heard Danielle's voice.

"In about 2 hours," Ian replied.

"Seriously?" she groaned.

"Seriously," Jamie said, holding in a laugh.

"We can go get something to eat if you want," I suggested.

"Yes! Please!" she yelled.

"But first," I smirked.

"Oh, God. What?"

"You have to listen to us play a song," I said.

"Fine, let me hear it," she said, sitting on the stage by where I stand, facing where the crowd would be. I shrugged and we took our places.

"I Like to Dance?" I asked the guys.

"Let's go," Ian smiled.

By the end of the song, Danielle was nodding her head.

"Well, what'd you think?" I asked when it was over.

"You're good, I'll give you that," she replied, hopping off the stage and turning to face us, "If all of your songs are as good as that one, I may have just found my new favorite band."

Jamie stood up and walked over to her, throwing his arm around her shoulders, "Good. Now, let's go get you something to eat!" She clapped happily and we walked down the road to get food.

~

-Nash-

We got back to the venue about half an hour before the show started.

"Hey, Danielle," I said as we walked inside, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" she asked.

"Well, um, I was wondering if-"

I was cut off by two screams from behind us, "Danielle!" We spun around and I saw a tall girl with light brown hair and a short girl with reddish hair running up to us.

Danielle screamed back, "Katia! Jenna!" and they all tackled each other in a hug, laughing loudly. "Oh, there are some people I want you to meet!" Danielle exclaimed, grabbing the two girls' hands and running backstage. "Come on, Nash!" she yelled. I sighed and followed slowly behind them. "Guys, this is Katia and Jenna," Danielle said, "Katia and Jenna, you already know who they are."

The girls giggled and Ryan smiled, "Why, hello, ladies."

They smiled widely as Danielle continued, "I sat beside them on our flight here. They were surprised I didn't know who you were when your mom came to get me at the airport."

"Ah, fans," Ian laughed.

"Insanely huge fans," Katia smiled.

"Yeah, 'insane' is the word I'd use for them," Danielle teased.

I noticed Jamie looking at Katia closely so I lightly elbowed his arm, "You think she's cute?"

"Cute is an understatement," he mumbled.

"You should ask her out," I whispered.

"Yeah, because I'm so straight-forward with girls," he laughed sarcastically.

"Well, you need to start being that if you ever want a girlfriend," I chuckled.

"Kinda like you?" he asked.

"Hey, I was going to ask her out until her friends interrupted!" I whisper yelled.

"Uh-huh," he smirked, "I'm sure you were."

"Well, we've still got a little less than half an hour until the show, what do you say we all hang out?" Ian suggested, bringing Jamie and I back from our side conversation.

"I'm up for it," Danielle shrugged. We went and sat down on the couch. She then started laughing, "There are only four places to sit!"

"Oh, it seems we've run into a problem," Ryan smirked, then pulled Jenna to sit in his lap, "Problem solved!"

Jenna smiled, blushing lightly as Danielle pushed Katia onto Jamie and yelled obnoxiously, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there, Katia! Gosh, I feel so awful! Oh well." She sat herself down in my lap and I just looked at her. "What?" she asked, "I could sit on Ian's lap instead." She moved to get up and I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her down. "That's what I thought," she smirked, laying her head on my shoulder. I looked over at Ryan and Jamie, who were both glaring at me.

"What?" I mouthed. They shook their heads and turned their attention back to Jenna and Katia.

I sighed and Danielle looked up at me and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just-"

"5 minutes, guys," Zach, our manager, said, walking over to us.

"I'll tell you after the show," I mumbled as Danielle stood up. She held out her hand and I took it. She pulled me up, but didn't let go until right before I ran onstage.

"Good luck, Nash," she whispered and kissed my cheek, letting go of my hand and trotting back over to Katia and Jenna. I rubbed the back of my neck as I watched her, shrugging it off and grabbing my guitar.

"It didn't mean anything," I told myself, "She was just being nice."

~

When the show was over, we were all sweaty, but excited as we ran backstage.

"That was amazing!" Danielle screamed as she ran over to me. She jumped up, throwing her arms around my neck, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, spinning her around.

"So new favorite band?" Ryan chuckled.

"Definitely!" she smiled once her feet were on the ground again and giggled, "And now, I need a shower. Thank you, Nash."

"You're welcome," I smiled sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out at me, which I happily returned.

"So what was up earlier?" Danielle asked as she followed me over to get a bottle of water.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it," I shrugged, picking up a water bottle.

"No," she said, grabbing the bottle from my hand, "What's wrong?"

I looked at her and sighed, "I just... I was wondering if... Maybe you'd want to... Go out with me sometime..."

"Like a date?" she asked. I nodded and she stared at me, "Nash, I-"

"Danielle! We're going to the mall! Wanna come?" Katia called across the room.

"-have to go," Danielle said quietly, turning around and running out of the venue with Katia and Jenna. I watched her run out with a shocked expression.

"What happened?" Ian asked as he, Ryan, and Jamie walked over to me.

"Nothing," I replied, slightly angry, "Nothing happened." I walked away and got into my car, sitting there for a moment before starting the engine and driving back to my apartment.

~

Title: "I Like to Dance" by Hot Chelle Rae


	6. Love is Problematique

-Danielle-

"Why didn't you say yes?!" Katia yelled as we were sitting in the food court at the mall.

"I told you already! I've had a bad history with musicians! We just don't go well together," I said, looking around at the few people who started staring at us.

"Not all musicians are the same," Jenna said, "You can't let a few bad relationships ruin your future ones."

"Get over your past, Danielle," Katia added, "Because if you don't, you're never going to be happy."

I stood up, "I'm just going to go back home."

"Do you even know how to get there from here?" Katia asked.

"I'll find my way," I mumbled, walking outside.

Katia was right. I had no clue how to get home. So I just found some random bench at the side of the road and sat down to think.

~

-Ryan-

I got into the car with Jamie after saying goodbye to Ian and I started driving home.

"Hey, is that Danielle?" Jamie asked randomly, pointing out my window.

I looked at where he was pointing and said, "I think it is."

I pulled over and rolled my window down, "Danielle, what are you doing?" She shrugged, but didn't look up at me.

"Get in the car," Jamie said. She didn't bother to argue, she simply stood up and climbed into the backseat, quietly buckling her seat belt and staring at her hands.

"What's wrong?" I asked, glancing at her every once in a while in my rear view mirror as I started to drive again.

"Nash asked me out," she replied quietly.

"What's so wrong about that?" Jamie asked.

"I hear you guys talking about him and his reputation," she mumbled.

"Oh..." was all I managed to say.

"I didn't say yes, if that's what you're concerned about. But I didn't say no either."

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.

"I panicked. Katia and Jenna yelled for me, and I just ran off."

"That's why he seemed mad when he left," I said quietly, hoping Danielle didn't hear me.

"He was mad?"

She heard me.

"He wasn't necessarily mad," Jamie replied quickly, "He just wasn't very happy."

"How long?" she asked, randomly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How long after I left did he leave?"

"Right after," Jamie answered.

"He hates me," she sighed.

"He doesn't hate you," I said.

"That would explain why he took of when I left without answering him. Yeah, he definitely doesn't hate me," she rolled her eyes. I pulled into our driveway and Danielle took off toward the door immediately after I put my car in park.

"Danielle, we're going to talk about this!" I yelled as I walked through the door.

"There's nothing to talk about, Ryan!" she yelled back, slamming her bedroom door.

"So, uh, what's going on?" my mom asked, walking into the room.

"Nothing, just things that happened tonight," I sighed.

"Like what?" she asked.

"I'll go talk to her," Jamie said, sprinting up the stairs.

"Dating things," I answered, walking into the kitchen to get a drink.

-Danielle-

I sat at my desk, trying to clear my head when I heard someone wiggle the doorknob, then knock.

"I don't want to talk to you, Ryan!" I shouted.

"It's not Ryan, Danielle. Please open the door," I heard Jamie beg. I sighed and stood up, walking over to the door.

"What?" I asked as I opened it. He didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around me tightly. "What is with you and hugs?" I rolled my eyes, but hugged him back.

"Just seemed like you needed one," he replied when he let go. I tried to smile, but it didn't really show up. "So why didn't you give Nash an answer?" Jamie asked, sitting on my bed.

I went back over to where I was, sitting on the chair and propping my feet up on my desk, "I told you: I panicked."

"Alright, why did you panic?"

"I told you that too: I hear what you and Ryan say about him. I know I'm only setting myself up for heartbreak if I date him," I sighed.

"Well, do you want to date him?" Jamie asked.

"Why are you asking so many questions? First, you and your brother seem like you want me to have nothing to do with Nash, and now it's like you're practically begging me to date the boy!"

"Look, Danielle, I'm just trying to get you to admit it. I know it's been 12 years since we've seen each other, but I can still read you like a book. You like him way more than you want to let yourself believe," he said.

"Fine! I like him, alright? I really like him, but I'm serious about why I can't be with him. I'm not going to just throw myself into a relationship that I know will only end up in me getting hurt. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed," I said, standing up. Jamie stood up as well, walking toward the door.

"Nash really likes you too if that means anything," he said just before closing the door behind him.

I sighed before changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed. So what if I do really like Nash? I've dated enough musicians to know they're all the same, and I'm not about to let myself fall for another one.

~

Title: "Problematique" by Hot Chelle Rae


	7. Never Have I Ever Felt Like This Before

-Nash-

I sat on my couch, not listening to anything but the sounds of my own thoughts. It's all I had been doing the last three days.

"Maybe Danielle doesn't like me," I told myself, "Maybe Ryan or Jamie told her about my reputation. Maybe she- No, Nash. Stop it. Moping around about this isn't going to help anything. She flirts with you. She hugs you all the time. She kisses your cheek, for Christ's sake. She likes you. You just have to try until she admits it."

Maybe she'll get annoyed with me, but I'm not going down without a fight.

~

-Jamie-

"Call her," I heard as I stared at my phone. I looked up to see Danielle taking a seat beside me on the couch.

"Call who? What are you talking about?" I asked nervously.

She laughed lightly, "You know who, Jamie."

"So? That doesn't mean she'd want me to call her," I mumbled.

"Jamie, I don't know whether or not you're aware of this, but I'm a girl, and girls know when other girls like a guy. Trust me when I tell you Katia likes you, and it is not just because you're in a band," she replied.

"You could be wrong, you never know..."

"What if I told you that when we went to the mall after your show yesterday, she wouldn't shut up about you?"

"What?" I asked.

"You didn't hear it from me," she said, getting up and walking off.

So I did it; I picked up my phone and dialed the number I had saved as Katia's.

"Hello?" I heard on the second ring.

"Hi, um, Katia?" I asked.

I heard her giggle, "Hi, Jamie."

"How did you know it was me?"

"I have your number saved from yesterday, remember?" she laughed.

"Oh... Um, anyway... I was wondering, you know, if you're not busy today, maybe we could hang out," I said nervously.

"Yeah, that'd be great! What time?" she smiled.

"Whenever you're ready, I guess."

"Give me an hour," she replied.

"Okay, cool! Text me your address and I'll see you later!"

"Will do. See you later, Jamie," she smiled.

"Bye, Katia," I grinned and hung up the phone. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, smiling to myself.

"Told you so," Danielle sang, walking back into the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied.

"Just remember: You hurt her, I hurt you. Got it?"

"Why would I hurt her?" I asked.

"I'm just saying; If she ever so much comes to me complaining about you, you better learn to sleep with one eye open," she said.

I looked at her for a few moments before slowly saying, "Alright.." She smiled at me, ruffling my hair and skipping upstairs. I shook my head and chuckled, heading upstairs to get ready.

~

Katia texted her address to me about 45 minutes later and I stared at the text.

"Someone send you a really long word you don't know?" Ryan teased.

"No, I just... Isn't this next door?" I asked, showing him the message.

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm hanging out with Katia today and I told her to send me her address so I could pick her up," I replied.

"You finally asked a girl out?" he joked.

"I'll be back later," I rolled my eyes, turning around and walking out the door.

I walked across the front lawn over to the sidewalk and to the house next door. I knocked on the door and a few seconds later, it opened.

"Hi, Mrs. Gomez," I smiled, "Um, is Katia here?"

"Yeah," she smiled back, "Katia, Jamie's here! Do you want to come inside?"

"Sure, thank you," I said, stepping inside the house.

"She hasn't stopped talking about this all morning, so she may be a while," Mrs. Gomez smiled, "But you didn't hear it from me.

"Oh, well, I was actually supposed to pick her up in 10 minutes, but I didn't know she lived next door," I chuckled.

"She doesn't, really. She's actually my niece," she smiled, "She just moved in a couple days ago." Suddenly, we heard footsteps coming down the staircase.

"Jamie! I didn't think you'd get here that fast," Katia said.

"And I didn't think you'd be living next door to me," I laughed.

"Aunt Grace! Why didn't you tell me you lived next door to them?" Katia whispered as if I couldn't hear her.

Mrs. Gomez threw her hands in the air, "I didn't know you had a thing for one of them, I'm sorry!"

"Oh, my! Look at the time! Well, Jamie and I should get going! Bye, Aunt Grace!" Katia yelled, quickly running out the door, grabbing my wrist and pulling me with her.

"So you have a thing for me?" I smirked as we walked down the sidewalk.

Katia laughed nervously, looking away from me, "I don't know what she was talking about. She's crazy."

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked quietly.

"Um, I guess," she replied.

"Don't tell anyone, but I have a thing for the girl living next door to me," I whispered in her ear.

I moved away in time to see a smile start to form on her face and her cheeks turn a light red. I reached for her hand, sighing lightly in relief when she didn't pull away, and laced our fingers together, making her blush again. I took a deep breath and leaned in, quickly kissing her cheek and looking away.

She looked at me and I looked back at her, "What?"

She bit her lip and shook her head, smiling, "Nothing. So what are we doing?"

"Well, you're fairly new around here, so I thought I'd give you an official tour of the town and we'd finish off with a picnic," I smiled.

"Perfect," she giggled.

~

After the tour was over, we walked into a grocery store and got picnic related things. Then, we walked the short distance to the park and sat down at one of the picnic tables.

"So tell me about yourself," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Well, I'm 15, I love music and soccer more than anything, I practically live on Twitter, and, um... I'm not very good at telling people about myself," she giggled.

"You have a Twitter?" I smiled.

"Oh, yes! It's always been my dream to get a reply from you and I won't sleep until it happens!" she yelled dramatically.

"Really?" I chuckled, "Alright, tweet something to me." She pulled out her phone and started typing. My phone notified me of a Twitter mention and I read it.

@KaayAllTimeLow: @Jamiefollese Something to me. ;)

I looked up at her, "Cute."

"I know I am," she smirked. I laughed and quickly typed a reply to her.

@Jamiefollese: @KaayAllTimeLow Sleep well tonight, beautiful. ;)

When I looked at Katia again, she was smiling at her phone and blushing.

"Well, we should be getting home so you can get ready for tonight," I said after throwing everything away and grabbing Katia's hand, pulling her up from her seat.

"What's tonight?" she asked, confused.

"The band has a show tonight at this club. I thought maybe you'd want to come," I shrugged, "Unless you already have plans."

"Nope, no plans whatsoever," she said quickly, making me laugh.

"So I'll pick you up at 7?" I said once we got back to Katia's front door.

"Sounds great," she smiled, "I had fun today, Jamie. And if the music thing doesn't work out, you should definitely become a tour guide."

"Yeah, describing things as 'that thing' and 'whatever that is' will definitely land me a job," I laughed.

"Are you kidding?" she giggled, "That was the best part!"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "I'll see you tonight."

I wanted to kiss her, but I didn't. I leaned in, but instead of kissing her lips, I kissed her cheek lightly. I moved away and she smiled lightly at me, then walked into her house, closing the door behind her. I walked back across the front lawn, mentally kicking myself for not taking the chance.

~

Title: "Never Have I Ever" by Hot Chelle Rae


	8. Don't You See what You Do to Me?

-Danielle-

"I'm gonna go get Katia and we'll be back and ready to go!" Jamie called, sprinting out the front door.

"Hurry up! We don't have all night!" Nash yelled after him.

"Nash, I know you're not the happiest person on Earth right now, but you don't need to take it out on everyone else," Ryan said, his arm draped across Jenna's shoulders.

Everyone looked at me and I tried my best to ignore them. I had successfully avoided Nash for three days – well, kind of. He hasn't really come around much. Ryan says he just stays in his apartment all day.

I guess I did feel a little bad. I mean, the reason he's locked himself in his apartment for the last three days was because of me, but it's just too awkward being around him. He just stares at me and it makes me uncomfortable.

My thoughts were interrupted by Jamie's voice, "Alright, let's go!"

"How did you get back here so fast?" I asked, shocked.

"She lives next door," Jamie chuckled.

Katia laughed at my shock, "Danielle!"

"What? It's not like Jamie told me!" I smiled, then looked at Jamie, "For your favorite cousin, you don't seem to talk to me much." I pushed his shoulder as I walked by him and out the door.

"Well, you're mean, so that probably the reason," he smirked.

"Can we just go?" Nash groaned.

"Yes, Nash! We can go. Stop your whining," Ian said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not whining," Nash mumbled, getting into the car and closing the door.

"Seriously, Danielle," Ryan said as he walked by me, "You need to talk to him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered, getting in the car on the opposite side of Nash.

~

I went outside about 10 minutes before the show started to get some air and when I went to go back in, the guard at the door stopped me.

"Sorry, Miss," he said, "You have to be at least 18 to get in here."

"No, I know the band," I said.

"Do you realize how many times I've heard that tonight?" he asked, obviously unconvinced.

I was about to say something back when I heard, "It's cool, man. She's with me."

The guard looked at me and I smiled sarcastically at him as he let me in and said, "Alright, Nash. Have a good show." Nash took my hand and pulled me inside.

He quickly let go and started to go somewhere else, but I grabbed his arm, turning him back to me, "We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about, Danielle," he said plainly, looking at me.

"Yes, there is, Nash! I know you're mad and I'm sorry I just ran off the other day, but you don't need to take it out on other people! If you're going to be pissed at anybody, it should be me, alright? Not them," I said, pointing at the group.

"Will you at least tell me why you won't go out with me?" he asked quietly, sitting down.

I sighed, sitting down beside him, "I told you, Nash: I can't get involved with musicians. I just end up getting hurt."

"We're not all the same, Danielle!" he said a bit louder, "Please let me prove it to you!" By now, I noticed just about everyone backstage was staring at us.

"If I say yes, will you stop making a scene about it?!" I quickly whisper-yelled.

"Wait, so you'll go out with me?" Nash asked hopefully.

"I mean it, Nash. One date. That's all you get," I sighed in defeat. He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

When he let go, he held my face in his hands and said, "I promise you won't regret this." Nash jumped up and ran over to the guys just before they were about to go onstage.

"What happened?" Jenna asked as I got closer to where she and Katia where standing.

"I got myself into a whole lot of trouble is what happened," I mumbled, walking by them.

~

The band played an amazing show, yet again.

When they ran backstage, Nash came straight to me, "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 6, okay?" I nodded, making him grin before he took off somewhere else.

"I take it you're going out with him?" Ian asked as everyone walked over to me.

I groaned, "Can someone just take me home? I need to sleep."

Ryan shook his head and chuckled, "Get in the car." He then turned to the rest of the group, "I'll be back to help pack up." They nodded and Ryan grabbed my hand, pulling me out to the car and driving me back to the house. "You know, he really does like you," Ryan said as he pulled into the driveway.

"So I've heard," I mumbled, quickly getting out of the car and rushing up to my bedroom before anyone could ask questions.

~

Title: "Somewhere in Neverland" by All Time Low


	9. I Wanna Fall So in Love with You and No One Else

-Nash-

Ryan, Jamie, and Ian were at my apartment the next afternoon, about two hours before I had my date with Danielle.

"How am I going to prove to her that I'm not like all the other guys she's dated?" I asked, my head resting in my hands.

"I don't know, man. You could never drink again. That might be a start," Ian said. I looked at him and he rolled his eyes, "Fine, just don't drink so much at one time. Get tipsy or buzzed or whatever, but don't drink so much that you won't remember anything the next day."

"You screw up once, you're done," Jamie commented.

"No pressure," I mumbled, "Okay, so what should we do for our date?"

"I don't know. She likes cheesy stuff. You could take her bowling," Ryan suggested.

"Unless she's as good at bowling as she is at arcade games, then you might end up crying," Jamie smirked.

"I did not cry, bro! I had something in my eye!" Ryan yelled.

"Whatever," Jamie chuckled.

I nodded, "Alright, bowling sounds good. What about food?"

"She really likes nachos," Jamie answered.

"She also really likes Coke," Ryan chimed in.

"I can see why she's your favorite cousin," Ian chuckled, looking at Jamie.

Jamie simply rolled his eyes, "Nash, I hope you realize taking her bowling and buying her nachos and Coke isn't going to guarantee you anything. You have to fight for her – and I mean really fight for her. She's been hurt God knows how many times and bowling and food aren't going make her walls break down."

I nodded again, "I'm not giving up on her, Jamie. I'll do whatever it takes for how ever long it takes."

~

-Danielle-

At 6 o'clock, there was a knock on the door.

At least he shows up on time, I tried reassuring myself as I trotted down the stairs and opened the door.

"Hi, Danielle," Nash smiled at me, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," I muttered, closing the door behind me. He put his hand on my back, but I didn't do anything to make him stop.

~

We arrived at a bowling alley after a short drive and I laughed lightly, "Typical date spot."

"Do you not like it?" Nash asked, "We can do something else."

"No, I love it," I said, shaking my head, "I'm just saying, isn't this where everyone goes on their first date?"

"First date?" he smiled.

"Don't get your hopes up," I said as we walked inside, "This date hasn't even started yet. You could still fuck up."

Alright, I'll admit it. I was having fun. I would never vocalize that thought, but I was actually having a pretty good time, and I don't know what it is with me and being tied until the very last second, but that's where it was.

Basically, I was only a few points behind Nash, which meant if I got a strike, I would win. The thing about bowling is: I love it, but I'm not good at it. Like, at all. It was a surprise to me that I even stayed tied with Nash for so long.

"Loser buys food," Nash smirked.

I glared at him, "Is it just me or is it getting a little cocky in here?"

"Why? Scared you're gonna lose?" he chuckled.

"No, I know I'm gonna lose. You're just an asshole for making the girl pay," I sweetly smiled at him before picking up my bowling ball.

I took a deep breath, and went for it. I watched nervously as the ball went down the lane, staring in disbelief when 9 pins fell immediately. Nash stood up as we both kept our eyes on the last wobbling pin. It finally fell after what seemed like forever.

I smiled widely and threw my hands into the air, "Yes!" I spun around to find Nash staring at our lane with his jaw dropped. "So what was that about me losing again? I can't seem to remember what you said," I smirked. He looked over at me, an evil grin slowly spreading across his face. My eyes instantly went wide, "You wouldn't dare."

He sprinted over to me, picking me up bridal style and grinning, "Oh, but I just did." He carried me back over to where our shoes were and we changed out of our bowling shoes.

I put on my first shoe and as I picked up the second one, Nash grabbed it from me and put it on my foot, "It fits! You, Danielle, are the princess I've been searching for." He gave me a goofy grin and held out his hand to me. I shook my head and smiled, taking his hand.

"That was cute, Overstreet. I'll give you that much," I said as he pulled me up off of my chair, "How long have you been waiting to use that line?"

He looked at me, and with the most serious expression, said, "You have no idea." I laughed and he pulled me over to the concessions stand.

~

When we finished eating, he took me back to my house and we sat on the porch steps.

"So there's got to be more to this than not wanting to get hurt," Nash said.

"Maybe, but if so, I'm not sure what it is," I shrugged.

"I think you know exactly what it is, you just don't want to tell me," he said.

I sighed, "My whole life, I did everything I was told: Chores, homework – all that stuff. My parents said that I wasn't allowed to start dating until after I graduated college and got a job."

"Well, you kind of broke that one already."

"That's my point! They made me swear not to date anybody – especially a musician – because they've seen what it does to me when they break my heart," I looked down at my hands, avoiding eye contact with Nash.

He reached over, put his fingers under my chin, and looked me in the eyes, "I promise I am never going to hurt you."

I shook my head and smiled sadly, "That's what they all say until they do it." He was about to say something, but I kept going, "I know about your reputation, Nash."

"Ryan and Jamie told you?" he asked, sounding a little ticked off.

"No, but I hear them talking about it sometimes."

"I can change, Danielle. I'd do anything for you," he whispered.

I shook my head again and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly, "There will be other girls, Nash. Girls that will love every single thing about you and not give a fuck about your reputation. I don't want you to change who you are – especially for someone like me. I'm nothing special. Just wait until you find the girl that's right for you."

"I don't want those other girls," he choked, "I want you."

I smiled lightly at him, "I had a great time tonight, thank you."

"But-"

I cut him off, "Goodnight, Nash." I kissed his cheek softly and stood up, wiping away a couple tears off my cheeks as I walked inside, closing the door behind me.

~

Title: "Walls" by All Time Low


	10. I Could Be Your Perfect Disaster

-Ryan-

"I'm not playing around, Danielle!" I said in a rush, "Are you sure this looks okay?" Danielle just laughed hysterically, falling back on my bed. "Danielle!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath, "You look fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at myself in my mirror.

"Ryan," she got up and put her hands on my shoulders, looking at me in the mirror, "Jenna likes you. She will not pay the slightest bit of attention to what you're wearing."

"How do you know?"

"Jesus, what is with you guys and thinking girls don't like you? Look at you! You sing in a band, you can play guitar, your hair looks better than most people's ever do half the time for crying out loud! You are all she talks about when Katia's not going on and on about Jamie," she said loudly, "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Just be yourself."

"Thank you, Danielle," I said, hugging her tightly.

She started pushing me out the door, "You're welcome. Now, get moving. You don't want to be late."

"But I need my-"

"Phone? Got you covered," she said, handing my phone to me.

"What about the-"

"Flowers? Got those too," she handed the flowers to me.

"You're a life saver," I said as we walked out the front door.

"I know," she smiled, "Now do I need to give you the same speech I gave Jamie?"

"What speech would that be?" I asked nervously.

"The 'you hurt her, you die' one."

"No, I think we're good."

"Good, because I really don't want to have to kill you before you become ridiculously famous," she said when we reached my car.

I stared at her for a couple seconds before saying, "Right... Well, I'll be back later."

"Have fun, don't do anything illegal, and don't kiss her!" Danielle said, starting to walk back toward the house.

"Why am I not allowed to kiss her?!" I called after her.

"Always leave them wanting more, Ryan!" she called back, walking into the house and closing the door behind her. I shrugged and started my car, heading off to go pick up my date.

~

I finally reached the address Jenna gave me and went up to the front door, unbelievably nervous as I held the flowers behind my back.

I heard a woman's voice yell, "Jenna!" and then the door opened. "Hi! You must be Ryan. I'm Jackie, Jenna's grandmother," she said.

"Hi," I said nervously.

"No need for nerves, she's been talking about this all day," Jackie smiled, "But I didn't tell you that."

"Tell me what?" I smiled.

"I like you, kid," she laughed, "Jenna! Hurry up or I'll bring out the baby pictures!"

Jenna came running down the steps and stopped when she hit the bottom, "Don't even think about it."

"Got you down here, didn't it?" Jackie smiled, "Have fun, kids."

"I'll have her back by 9, Mrs. Cetkovski," I smiled back.

"Please, dear, call me Jackie. You can keep her until 10 if you want. As long as she's not here bugging me, it's fine."

"Love you too, Grandma," Jenna rolled her eyes, stepping off of her porch.

"Have a nice evening," I said to Jackie before she closed the door, chuckling and following Jenna. I rushed over to the passenger side door and opened it for her. "Oh! I believe these are for you," I grinned, handing her the flowers.

She gasped lightly, "They're beautiful! Thank you."

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl," I smiled at her, causing her to blush. I closed her door and sprinted back to my own side of the car. I climbed in the drivers seat and pulled out onto the road.

"Where are we going?" Jenna asked.

"Well, I was thinking dinner, then a walk through the park," I answered.

"Sounds wonderful," she smiled.

~

After dinner, I drove to the park and we walked around for a bit before laying on top of a random picnic table.

"So why are you in Nashville?" I asked.

"Hopefully to make something of myself in music," she replied.

"How? Singing, teaching, drumming?"

"Singing – and songwriting, of course," she smiled.

"Oh, really?" I smirked.

"Don't get too cocky," she giggled, "It's only partly because of you."

"That's still something!" I grinned. Jenna rolled her eyes, but smiled, as I continued, "Alright. What about music makes you want to be a singer?"

"Honestly, the way singers can write what they can't necessarily say directly to whatever person the song was written for or about fascinates me. Like, how one song can just be performed and you can feel the emotion and work they put into that song – especially live," she answered, looking up at the stars and leaving me speechless.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone who feels the same way about music as I do," I said when I finally found the words.

"Maybe you just weren't looking hard enough," she smiled at me.

"Well, not looking hard enough led me to you, so I'm perfectly okay with it," I smiled back, making her blush again. "You're cute when you blush," I whispered. She bit her lip and smiled. I started to move my face closer to hers, but then remembered Danielle's advice. I quickly sat up, "Well, I should be getting you home."

I held out my arm to her and I could sworn she looked sad for a moment, but the look was immediately replaced with a smile, taking my hand in her own. We walked back to my car and I opened her door for her, closed it, then made my way back to the drivers seat. I drove her home and walked her to her front door.

"I had a great time tonight, Ryan," Jenna grinned, holding her flowers tightly in her hand.

"So did I, Jenna. We'll be doing this again sometime, right?"

"That depends, are you asking me out for a second date?"

"I'm trying to," I smiled shyly.

"I'll have to think about it," she said. I nodded and she smirked, whispering in my ear, "I would love to go out with you again, Ryan." I grinned widely, leaning in, but kissing her cheek.

"I'll call you tomorrow," I said quietly.

"Okay," she smiled lightly, then walked into her house, closing the door behind her. I walked back to my car, getting in and sitting for a moment before driving back home.

~

Title: "Ever After" by Marianas Trench


	11. I Can Feel Your Heart Tonight; It's Killing Me

-Ryan-

When I got up the next morning, I drove to Nash's apartment and walked in.

"Get dressed, we're going to the studio," I said as I opened the door.

He stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "Why?" I walked into his bedroom and found some clothes for him before going back out to where he was.

"Just trust me," I replied, throwing the clothes at him.

~

About 10 minutes later, after picking up Jamie and Ian, we arrived at the studio.

"Seriously, man. What are we doing here?" Nash asked as we walked inside.

"We are here to help you get over Danielle," Ian answered.

He groaned, "I don't want to get over her."

"Okay, maybe not get over her, but we're gonna give you two a little push," Jamie said.

"Hey, guys!" we heard when we walked into one of the recording booths.

"Hey, Demi," I smiled, hugging her.

"You're going to help give us a push with Demi Lovato?" Nash asked confused.

"Yes!" Ian exclaimed.

"How?" Nash said loudly, "I mean, no offense, Demi, but how?"

"We're going to write a song!" Demi grinned. Nash was still confused, so I helped clarify.

"Basically, you're going to write the male part, we're going to tell Demi about Danielle's all-over-the-place feelings for you and she's going to write the female part, then we're going to put it together, and you and Demi are going to sing it at our show tonight," I explained.

He looked at me, still confused, but more shocked now, "We're going to write a whole song in less than 12 hours?" I gave him a look and he sighed, "Alright, whatever."

~

-Danielle-

"Shopping, shopping, shopping," Katia repeated over and over, bouncing in her seat in the car.

"I will turn this car around if you don't calm the heck down, missy!" Jenna yelled jokingly. Katia stuck out her bottom lip, then looked at me.

I threw my hands into the air, "I'm not in this! I'd like to stay on Jenna's good side!"

"You know it!" Jenna laughed, pulling into the mall's parking lot.

~

"Basically, everything in this store is ridiculously cute, not to mention affordable," Katia told me as we walked into Forever 21 after insisting we go in when I mentioned I'd never been to one before.

"I know that, I've just never actually been to one in person," I laughed.

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.

"I've looked at their website, but we don't have Forever 21 where I lived in Indiana," I shrugged.

"You deprived child!" Katia gasped, "Here! Let me guide you through the store."

"Kat, we do, believe it or not, have a Rue 21, which I know is basically the same thing," I smiled, "The only difference so far is that Forever 21 is way bigger."

"Which means more cute things!" Katia exclaimed.

"Okay, lovelies. Let's just get shopping before Katia hurts herself," Jenna giggled.

~

When we got to the venue a couple hours later, Jamie and Ryan were the first ones to find us.

"Oh, hey, guys! Come with me!" Jamie said as he grabbed mine and Katia's hands and Ryan grabbed Jenna's and they pulled us quickly toward backstage.

"Slow down! Where are we going?" I asked.

They didn't answer, but when we fully got backstage, Ryan yelled, "Surprise!" Katia, Jenna, and I all screamed before we just stared in shock.

"She's..." I tried to finish my sentence, but it just wasn't working.

"Demi Lovato!" Jamie smiled.

Katia nodded quickly, "Yeah, but... What..."

"How... Why are you here?" Jenna asked her, much more calm than Katia and I were, though she was still shocked.

"I was in the neighborhood and the band wanted me to do a special appearance, so here I am," Demi smiled.

"I love you," I randomly said, still in shock.

"We love you," Katia corrected.

"Whatever."

The guys went on stage and Katia, Jenna, and I talked to Demi – after we had calmed down, of course – until it was time for her appearance.

~

"So for this last song, we'd like to do something different. Nash and a very special person wrote this earlier today and if it's okay with you guys, they'd like to sing it for you," we heard Ryan say and the crowd scream. Ryan then smiled, "Please help me welcome Miss Demi Lovato!"

"Well, that's my cue," Demi laughed over the screams.

As Demi, Katia, and Jenna walked over to the side of the stage, I called after them, "I think I'm just gonna stay here!"

Katia turned around and came back to me, pulling me up, "Nope, you're coming too!"

I groaned and listened as Nash talked to the crowd, "So, as RK said, Demi and I wrote this song earlier today, but what he didn't tell you was why. You see, there's this girl I really like-" He looked over at me and I looked at him in shock. "-and, well, if you just pay attention to my lyrics, you'll understand what I'm trying to say, and Demi's lyrics are what I know this girl is feeling." He looked back toward the crowd and started the song.

See, I can't wake up  
I'm living a nightmare that keeps playing over again  
Locked in a room so hung up on you  
And you're cool with just being friends

Left on the sidelines, stuck at a red light  
Waiting for my time and I can't see

Why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing

Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need

Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?

He looked at me as Demi started singing.

See, I'm just too scared to tell you the truth  
Cause my heartache can't take anymore  
Broken and bruised, longing for you  
And I don't know what I'm waiting for

Left on the sidelines, stuck at a red light  
Waiting for my time, so just tell me

Why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing

Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need  
Oh

Nash looked at me again.

Why don't you give me a reason?  
Please tell me the truth  
You know that I'll keep believing  
Till I'm with you

Why don't you love me? Kiss me  
I can feel your heart tonight, it's killing me.

So, why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing

Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need

Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?  
Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?

The instruments slowly faded out as I walked away from the side of the stage, still in shock.

I heard Nash say, "Thank you guys for coming out!" and the crowd scream. The next thing I knew, someone grabbed my arm and spun me around.

"You wrote a song and sang it in front of all those people and just expected me to be okay with it?!" I yelled when I saw Nash standing in front of me. I knew everyone was staring at us now, but at that point, I was so mad, I didn't even care.

"Yeah, kind of!" he yelled back, "I put everything I have into that song!"

"That's not the point, Nash! The point is you can't just write a song and expect me to come running into your arms, begging you to date me!"

"And why not? I like you, Danielle, and I know you like me too! Why can't you just admit it to yourself?!"

"You don't know me, Nash! I may not look like it, but I'm a lot smarter than all those other girls you hooked up with and all the girls you will hook up with. I'm not just going to willingly become another stupid notch on your fucking bedpost!" Everyone was still staring at us and I could tell they were wondering whether they should intervene or not, but obviously just deciding to let us yell at each other.

"Seems to me like you're a bit jealous!" Nash said loudly, but smirked at the same time.

"And what if I am?!" I shouted.

"Why would you be jealous, huh? You don't like me!"

"Fine! I like you, damn it! I really, really like you! Are you happy now?"

"Then will you be my girlfriend?!" he yelled.

"Yes, I will!" I yelled back.

I didn't have time to think before Nash grabbed my face and smashed his lips against mine. He pulled away about 30 seconds later and I took a moment to catch my breath, finally noticing everyone backstage was clapping and cheering. Katia and Jenna gave me the 'I told you so' look before Nash retook my face in his hands, resting his forehead against mine.

"Please... Please don't make me regret this, Nash," I said quietly, feeling a tear fall down my cheek.

"I won't let you, Danielle. I promise," he whispered, wiping the tear away and leaning in, kissing me again.

~

Title/song used: "Why Don't You Love Me" by Hot Chelle Rae ft Demi Lovato


	12. Hold My Hand and Kiss Me Before the Hearts Collide

-Danielle-

The next day, I woke up and smelled something cooking, but things seemed a bit...different. For starters, when I put on my glasses, I realized I wasn't in my bedroom. I wasn't even in the Follese house. The room I woke up in, I didn't recognize. I sat up, having no idea what was going on until Nash walked into the room.

"Oh my God..." I whispered out loud.

Nash must have realized what I was thinking because he nearly yelled, "We didn't sleep together! Well, we did, but we didn't. Nothing happened, we just slept in the same bed." I just looked at him and he looked back, "You don't remember what happened yesterday, do you?"

I thought for a moment, "Um, I remember us yelling at each other."

"Do you remember what happened after that?" he asked.

"I can only assume it was important because we're actually talking and you don't seem like you hate me..." I trailed off.

Nash sat down on the bed beside me, taking my hands in his, "I have never hated you, alright? I was just mad because you never told me how you felt."

I stared at him, "I told you, didn't I?"

He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, you did."

"Awesome," I mumbled, looking down.

He let go of my hands and moved them to my cheeks, lifting my head up so I was looking at him, "Listen to me, Danielle. I am not going to hurt you like everyone else has. I'm not saying we won't have arguments, but I'm never going to intentionally hurt you, got it?" I looked into his eyes and for the first time in a while, I believed someone when they said they wouldn't hurt me.

I nodded, "Okay." He pulled my face closer to his and kissed me softly.

"So I was thinking," he said when he pulled back, "You're really cute when you're mad at me." He winked at me and I started laughing.

"What does that make me now?" I asked.

"Absolutely gorgeous," he whispered.

I looked at him before crawling into his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his left arm around my waist, but put his right arm under my legs and stood up. He carried me into his kitchen and sat me on a chair.

"Do I smell waffles?" I asked, sniffing the air.

"Not just any waffles," Nash said, putting a plate down in front of me, "Chocolate chip waffles!"

"How did you know?"

"Jamie and RK," he chuckled.

"Wait, is that how you knew to get me nachos and Coke at the bowling alley? Because I never told you that."

"No," Nash said sarcastically, making me roll my eyes and laugh.

~

When I was almost finished eating, Nash said, "I'll take you home when you're done."

"Shit," I mumbled.

"What?" he asked, worried.

"What am I supposed to tell Aunt Adrienne and Uncle Keith? My parents told them not to let me get involved with a musician too."

He grabbed my hand and I looked at him, "I don't know, but whatever it is, we'll tell them together, okay?"

I nodded and he kissed my forehead. I ate the last few bites of my waffle and Nash and I went back to my house.

~

Before we walked through the front door, Nash held my hand tightly and said, "It'll be fine." We walked in and saw Adrienne and Keith sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Danielle!" Adrienne exclaimed when she saw us.

"I can explain," I rushed.

"You don't need to," Keith chuckled.

"I just... Wait, what?"

"Ryan and Jamie told us what happened," Adrienne smiled.

"You're not yelling at me... Why are you yelling at me?" Nash squeezed my hand and I looked at him.

"Calm down," he smiled.

"Honey," Adrienne laughed lightly, "You're almost 18-years-old. Even if we did tell you that you two couldn't date, you would still find a way to do it."

"But I know what my mom and dad told you about me not dating anybody..." I trailed off.

"Danielle, I have been telling your mother for years to let you make your own choices," Keith said.

"You told her you'd make sure I didn't though..."

"I said I'd watch out for you, I never exactly said I would stop you from dating whoever you wanted to. She's my sister – I didn't listen to her when we were kids, why would I listen now?" he laughed.

"We're not entirely thrilled about the idea of you two being together, but we've known Nash long enough to know that when he says he likes someone, he really likes them," Adrienne smiled. Nash let go of my hand, only to wrap both of his arms around my waist from behind me and rest his chin on the top of my head.

"Why couldn't you guys have been my parents?" I mumbled.

"Your parents love you and just want what they think is best for you," Keith said.

"But why can't what they think is best for me be what I actually want to do?" I asked no one in particular, leaning back onto Nash.

"Why don't we just talk about it with them when they're here for Thanksgiving, huh?" Adrienne said.

I sighed, "I guess. I'm gonna go take a nap."

"You just woke up," Nash chuckled.

"Well, I need to go back to sleep!" I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"The guys and I have are going into the studio this afternoon to work on some songs for our next album. Do you want to come?" Nash asked before I letting go of me.

I shrugged, "Sure, but someone might have to come wake me up."

"I think that can be arranged," he laughed, kissing my forehead, "I'll see you later, beautiful."

I rolled my eyes, "Bye, Nash," and trotted up the stairs and to my room.

~

Title: "Last One Standing" by Hot Chelle Rae


	13. I Don't Know if I'll Make It, but Watch How Good I'll Fake It

-Danielle-

"Look, all I'm saying is every hit song has something about Hollywood in it!" I exclaimed as the band, Katia, Jenna, and I were all sitting at a table in the recording studio.

This was basically the make it or break it point in their careers. None of them wanted to give up what they were doing, but we all knew that if this song didn't go big, they probably wouldn't be able to make a living off of Lovesick Electric.

"Okay... How about 'We're dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign'?" Ryan suggested.

"Oh, I'd love to, Ryan. Thank you," Jenna said, holding her hand over her heart.

He lightly shoved her shoulder, laughing, "Whatever." Ian started humming a random tune and Ryan hit the table with his hand, "That's it!"

"What is?" Ian asked, startled. Ryan hummed the same tune, then added in the word 'whatever'.

Katia jumped up, pointing at Ryan, "La, la, la."

"Whatever!" Ryan shouted, high-fiving Katia. "La, la, la," he continued before pausing.

"It doesn't matter," Jenna smiled, shaking her head.

"La, la, la."

I shrugged, "Oh well."

"La, la, la," he finished, grinning.

~

A few hours later, we had all the lyrics and the guys were working on the chords when one of the producers walked into the room.

Katia, Jenna, and I were hanging upside down on the couch and squeaked in unison, "Hi, Evan!"

He gave us a funny look before laughing, "Hey, girls." He turned to the guys, "How's the song coming?"

"I'd say another hour...hour and a half, we'll be done and ready for recording," Nash smiled.

"You're a couple hours ahead of what I thought you'd be," Evan said, sounding surprised.

"Well, we can't take all the credit," Ryan chuckled.

"After it was insisted that we add something about Hollywood, the girls were pretty into helping write it," Ian said, looking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, which he gladly returned.

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour to check up on you again," Evan smiled, turning to walk out of the room, "Come get me if you finish before then."

"Yes, sir!" everyone said at the same time. We all looked at each other and started laughing before the guys got back to work.

~

About 45 minutes later, everything was completed and I volunteered to go find Evan. On my way to his office, I was humming and not really paying attention, so it was no surprise I ran into someone turning around a corner.

"Oh, shit. I am so sorry," I said before looking up, but when I did, my eyes widened and I took a couple steps back.

"Hey, Danielle," my ex-boyfriend smirked.

"Jordan! What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked.

"I'm signed to RCA, remember? I mean, you are the one who suggested it, after all."

"Oh, right..." I trailed off.

Here's the thing: I dated a few musicians before him, but I never felt the way I did about them like I did Jordan. He was the first guy I said I love you to, the first guy I kissed, and the only one who's met my parents. He was the first guy I truly fell in love with, but that all came crashing down when he got signed.

I'd been telling him for quite a while that he should try to get signed to RCA, but he'd always tell me he wasn't good enough. Then, after playing in our school's talent show, he realized that people really did like his music and decided that he would take my advice. As soon as they heard him sing, they immediately wanted him on their label and signed him on the spot. We went out to celebrate and a couple months later, he flew to Nashville to start working on his music.

About two weeks after he left, he called me and told me he wanted to break up because, in his words, now that he was famous, he didn't need me around. I guess I should've seen it coming. I mean, that's always what happened. Guys would dump me as soon as they realized they were capable of making it in the music business and it was the same excuse every time: "I don't need you anymore."

"How have you been?" Jordan asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, I've been good. Yourself?" I answered.

"I've been alright," he said, "Look, Danielle, I know we ended on rough terms, but would you maybe like to go out sometime?"

"Um, I-I can't," I said nervously, walking backwards as he was stepping toward me.

"Why not?" he asked. I was trying to find words and jumped when I walked into someone behind me.

"Because she already has a boyfriend," Nash said, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sighed in relief, leaning back onto him.

"You two are dating?" Jordan asked, laughing lightly.

"Yeah," Nash answered, "Now why were you walking toward her like that?" I started playing with the bracelet on Nash's wrist out of nervousness.

"Just wanted to give her a hug is all. I haven't seen her in God knows how long," Jordan replied smoothly.

"She didn't look like she wanted to hug you from what I saw," Nash said, obviously seeing right through him.

I guess Jordan realized he couldn't do anything with Nash there because he just said, "Well, I should be getting back to work." He looked directly at me, "I'll see you again soon, Danielle," before walking to wherever he was going in the first place.

"What was that about?" Nash asked, finally letting go of me.

I quickly wiped a tear off of my cheek and started sprinting down the hallway, "Nothing. I have to go find Evan."

He grabbed my wrist and turned me toward him, "Evan can wait. Who was that guy?"

"My ex," I muttered, looking everywhere but at Nash, "It was nothing, don't worry about it."

"Look at me without crying, then tell me it was nothing."

I looked at him, pretty confident I could pull it off until I tried to talk and my voice cracked. I felt the tears start falling and Nash took my face in his hands, wiping them away with his thumbs before wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, which only made me cry more, if not harder.

We stayed like that until I calmed down.

"You wanna tell me why you got so worked up about seeing him?" Nash asked, moving back to look at me. I shook my head and he said, "Well, that's too bad, because you're going to."

I sighed and told him everything.

"That's not going to happen with us," Nash said when I finished.

"How do you know?" I asked quietly, leaning against the wall behind me.

"Well, for one, we're already signed," he said, making me laugh a little, "And two, I wouldn't have asked you to be my girlfriend if I was just going to leave you."

"Just promise you won't leave me if this song does become big," I whispered.

"Whether the song turns out to be a hit or not, I wouldn't want anyone with me but you," he whispered back.

He leaned in and kissed me, but we quickly pulled apart when Evan walked over to us, "What's going on here?"

"Well, I'm trying to make out with my girlfriend, but you're kind of interrupting," Nash answered.

I hit his shoulder, trying not to laugh as Evan shook his head and smiled, "What are you doing back here?"

"Song's done!" I said happily.

"Really?" Evan asked, surprised. Nash simply nodded and Evan said, "Awesome! Go get the rest of the band and we'll start recording!"

Evan walked away and Nash looked at me, "You heard him! We've gotta go get the guys!" He picked me up and started walking back to the room everyone was in as I laughed.

"Let's get recording!" I exclaimed as Nash walked into the room.

Everyone gave us funny looks, but stood up and we went down the hall. The band went into the recording booth while Katia, Jenna, and I watched them.

"So what took you so long earlier?" Jenna asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked nervously, but knew exactly what she meant.

"Evan's office is right down the hall, it shouldn't have taken you that long to get him."

"Well, I ran into someone and we talked for a bit," I shrugged.

"Who?" Katia asked.

"Um, my ex..." I trailed off.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Jenna asked. I rolled my eyes, telling them what happened. "But you have Nash," Jenna said after I told her and Katia about Jordan.

"I just said Jordan was the first guy I fell in love with, I never once said I would leave Nash to go back to him," I said.

"I know, but I'm just saying what if-"

"I'm not going to go back to a guy who says 'I don't need you anymore' over the phone. If he wants to try to get me back, whatever, but I'm more than happy with Nash and that's not about to change."

"That's so cute," Katia gushed.

"Speaking of cute, I hear you and Jamiebear have another date tonight," I winked at her.

"How'd you know about that?" she asked, blushing.

"You're all he talks about," I groaned, rolling my eyes, "I can't have a conversation with the boy without you being mentioned by him. We'll be talking about what cereal we need to get at the store and he'll just be like, 'Katia likes Lucky Charms'. I love you, Katia – really, I do – but I don't care what your favorite cereal is, okay?"

"He really does that?" she laughed.

"You have no idea." I noticed Jenna was laughing so I continued, "Don't think you're off the hook either, missy. Ryan does the same thing with you." She turned a light red, making me smirk, "He really likes your hair. He says it's soft, like what he thinks a cloud would feel like."

Jenna just rolled her eyes and giggled, "Well, I really like his hair, too. We were made for each other," she said dramatically.

~

Title/song used: "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae


	14. It's the Morning of Your Very First Day

-Danielle-

*Five weeks later*

I woke up suddenly to someone shaking me.

"Time to wake up, Danielle," I heard Jamie say.

"Why?" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes.

He laughed, "First day of school!"

I groaned again, covering my face with my blanket, "I can't go. I'm sick – violently ill. It's the flu. I feel a tumor growing on my lung as we speak."

"No, you don't. You'll be fine," he chuckled.

"Why are you even awake?"

"The band and I are going into the studio early to write some more songs. Come on, get up."

"What if everyone hates me?" I asked randomly.

Jamie pulled the blanket off of my head, "No one is going to hate you."

"You don't know that," I sighed, sitting up and swinging my feet off the side of the bed.

"Katia and Jenna will be there too. Stop worrying," he said as I stood up and trudged over to my closet, staring into it.

I pulled a shirt out and held it up, "What do you think of this?"

Jamie stared at me before yelling, "RK!"

Ryan walked in a few seconds later with a bowl of cereal in his hand, "Yeah?" Jamie motioned toward me and Ryan looked at me. He chuckled before walking over beside me, looking into my closet. "You only have one first impression, so you have to make it a good one," he said before putting an outfit in my hands. He then ushered me over to my bathroom, "Get ready. I'll have everything else out when you're done." I gave him a look, but shrugged and did as he said.

When I came back out, he had everything set up on my dresser and shoes right beside it as promised.

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" I asked, putting in my earrings and looking at Ryan in my mirror.

"You look amazing, Danielle," he said, resting his hands on my shoulders.

"You're gonna break a lot of hearts when guys find out you have a boyfriend," Jamie chuckled.

I laughed loudly, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Seriously, it'll be fine," Jamie said.

I rolled my eyes, "How would you know? You were in high school for what, a week?"

Ryan laughed and Jamie shot him a glare, "Not the point. You've been in high school for two years. Surely, it can't be that difficult."

"It's not the classes I'm worried about, Jamie," I said, fixing my hair, "It's the people."

"Well, everyone around here is pretty nice. I'm sure you won't have that much trouble," Ryan said.

"You'd be surprised," I mumbled, grabbing my bag and walking out of my room and down the stairs. As soon as I stepped on the last stair, there was a knock on the door. "I got it!" I called out, rushing to the door and opening it.

"You ready for this?!" Jenna shouted excitedly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I sighed. "I'll see y'all after school!" I called out again, receiving a chorus of goodbyes as I walked outside and over to Jenna's car. Katia was trotting across the front lawn with a big smile on her face. "It should be illegal for people to be this excited about school," I commented as we climbed into Jenna's car. The ride was pretty boring considering it was early and there really wasn't anything to be said.

~

Jenna pulled into the school parking lot and as we were getting out, we heard someone scream, "Jenna!" We turned around and saw two girls running toward us, soon tackling Jenna.

"Hey, guys!" Jenna said excitedly, hugging them back, "I totally forgot you lived here!"

"I know you're forgetful, but damn," one of them laughed.

"Uh... Jenna," Katia said.

"Oh, right! Sorry! Katia, Danielle, this is Caity and Maren. I met them on Twitter," Jenna smiled.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I smiled.

"Nice to meet you too!" Maren said happily.

"So what do we need to know about this place?" Jenna asked as we walked inside the school.

"It may seem like a big school, but trust me, you'll have no problem finding your classes," Maren said.

"There are really only three people you definitely need to watch out for," Caity stated.

"Okay, these people... Who are they and why do we need to worry about them?" I asked.

"Avery Mitchell, Natalie Parker, and Noah Alexander. They're pretty much the most popular people in school. They're nice when you first meet them, but don't be fooled by that. They will take any chance they get to make sure no one is more popular than them," she replied.

"The smart people stay on their good side. You know, like, pretend to be friends with them," Maren added.

"Are you those people?" Katia asked.

"Not at all," Caity laughed, "They made fun of Maren and I for liking this band called Hot Chelle Rae, so we went off on them."

"These people are definitely not going to be on my good side," I stated.

"You like Hot Chelle Rae too?" Maren asked, seemingly shocked.

"Something like that," Katia smiled.

"Remember when I told you I was dating Ryan and I mentioned Nash and Jamie had girlfriends?" Jenna laughed. Caity and Maren nodded and she smiled, "Surprise!"

"No way! You guys are dating them?!" Maren squealed.

"Yup," Katia giggled.

"You guys should totally hook us up with tickets and backstage passes," Caity nudged.

"We'll see what we can do," I laughed.

"We'll show you to the front office and they'll take care of you from there, cool?" Caity told said as we walked into the building.

"Do we have a choice?" I laughed.

Maren shook her head and smiled, "Not really, no."

~

When we got to the office, the lady at the desk looked up and smiled, "Hey, girls."

"Hey, Mrs. Adams," Caity and Maren said in unison.

"What can I do for you?"

"We were just showing the transfer students where the office was," Caity smiled.

"Oh! Yes, thank you," Mrs. Adams smiled back.

As Mrs. Adams was giving us our schedules, Caity randomly said to Maren, "Oh! I almost forgot, Lexi said she wanted to see us before school started."

"Okay," Maren said happily, "We'll hopefully see you guys at lunch!" We waved goodbye to them and turned back to our schedules.

The office door opened a couple minutes later and Mrs. Adams exclaimed, "Ah, good! You're here! Girls, this is MacKenzie. He's going to show you around and help you find your classes." She turned to MacKenzie, "You can start showing them around before classes start if you want."

"Alright," he smiled, opened the door, motioning for us to exit, "Shall we?" We thanked him and walked out of the office. "Can I see your schedules?" MacKenzie asked, walking out behind us. We handed him the papers and he scanned the words. "Looks like we have every class together," he chuckled, looking at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I smiled, shrugging.

"Well, it makes sense. We are in the same grade," he laughed, then looked at Katia and Jenna, "I guess I'll show you two around first."

"This will be wasted," Jenna giggled, "I'm gonna get lost today anyway."

"Oh, it won't be that difficult," he smiled, "There are only five classes."

"You'd be surprised," Katia chuckled. Jenna elbowed her and Katia elbowed her back, exclaiming, "What?! Don't even act like it's not true!"

"We should probably go before they kill each other," I told MacKenzie.

He laughed, "Alright, ladies. Let's get this tour started."

~

After about 15 minutes, MacKenzie had shown us where our lockers were – which were all fairly close to each other – and Jenna and Katia to their classes.

"And, here's our stop," he said.

"Whose bright idea was it to put me in History first period?" I groaned as we walked into the classroom.

"It'll be fine," he chuckled, "Mr. Michaels is a really fun teacher."

We heard a laugh behind us, "I am, aren't I?"

"Hey, Mr. Michaels," MacKenzie smiled.

"MacKenzie," Mr. Michaels smiled back, "I see you've brought a new face with you this morning."

"Yup!" he said happily.

Mr. Michaels looked around the room then back at MacKenzie, "Does anyone sit in front of you?"

"No, sir," MacKenzie replied.

"Alright, we'll have her sit there," he smiled at me, "I'll go get your textbook." MacKenzie led me to the middle of a row beside the wall and showed me where to sit.

"We do a lot of partner work, so I'll just save you the trouble of having to search for someone and just officially announce myself as your designated work buddy," he smiled.

"My hero," I sighed dramatically, putting my hand over my heart.

"Here's your book," Mr. Michaels said as he walked over to MacKenzie and I. I thanked him and continued talking to MacKenzie as people started coming into the room, staring at me before – and even after they sat down.

~

Before I knew it, the bell rang and Mr. Michaels started class.

"As I'm sure most of you noticed, we have a new student joining us. Why don't you stand up and tell everyone about yourself," he said.

I stood up slowly as everyone turned to look at me again, starting to play with my fingers as I spoke, "Um... I'm Danielle, I'm 17, and I don't like when people stare at me." I smiled nervously and quickly sat back down, causing MacKenzie to laugh quietly.

"Good enough," Mr. Michaels chuckled before continuing on with class.

~

A little over an hour later, the bell rang, signaling for us to go to second period.

"That was torture," I mumbled, walking closely beside MacKenzie down the crowded hallway.

"It wasn't that bad," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, did you have to stand up in front of everyone and tell them about yourself? I don't think so!"

"Well, you're going to have to do that four more times today, so you better get used to it," he grinned. As I rolled my eyes at him, someone bumped into my arm.

"Watch where you're going!" the guy shouted, continuing down the hallway.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"You didn't even do anything," MacKenzie said.

"Sometimes, it's better to just say sorry and move on than it is to stick around and argue about it," I shrugged, "I don't want anyone hating me on my first day. It just gives them more opportunities to make my life hell."

We stopped at our lockers to drop off our books, then headed off to our creative writing class. The teacher, Mrs. Lucas, had me sit – big surprise – beside MacKenzie. Mrs. Matthews, our third period Math teacher, had me sit in front of MacKenzie as well.

~

When it was finally lunch time, MacKenzie and I walked into the cafeteria, our trays already in hand.

I spotted Caity, Maren, Jenna, and Katia and looked at MacKenzie, "You can go sit with your friends if you want."

"It's cool, they can survive one day without me," he smiled.

We walked over to the table and as we sat down, I exclaimed, "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Danielle. Hey, MacKenzie," Katia smiled.

"You sure are a lot happier than you were this morning," Jenna giggled, taking a bite of a french fry.

"This day has actually not going been as bad as I thought it would be so far," I shrugged.

"So, what are your classes for the rest of the day?" Caity asked.

"Choir, then Photography," MacKenzie answered.

"Hey, we have Choir together!" Jenna nearly shouted.

"Same," Caity laughed lightly.

"And we've got Photography," Katia giggled.

"Also same," Maren copied Caity.

~

After about half an hour of goofing off, the bell rang. We all said goodbye and went back to our classes.

When it came time for 4th period, it was going pretty well up until the point Mr. Jacobs told Jenna and I to sing for the class so he could place us in a section.

"Are you sure that's really necessary?" I asked nervously.

Mr. Jacobs nodded, "If you feel too uncomfortable, I'll let you two sing something together."

I looked at Jenna and she shrugged, "If you'd rather do that, I'm cool with it."

"Alright," I mumbled, "What should we sing?"

"Any song, first verse and chorus," Mr. Jacobs replied, motioning for us to stand.

I turned to Jenna as we stood up, "Well, I haven't been able to get Why Don't You Love Me out of my head."

She smiled, "I figured. I haven't either, to be honest," and we started singing.

See, I can't wake up  
I'm living a nightmare that keeps playing over again  
Locked in a room so hung up on you   
And you're cool with just being friends

Left on the sidelines, stuck at a red light   
Waiting for my time and I can't see

Why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything, the air you're breathing  
Why don't you love me, baby?   
Open up your heart tonight   
Cause I could be all that you need

Oh, why don't you love me?   
Why don't you love me?

We stopped singing, earning claps from everyone and even a few shocked faces as we sat back down.

"I've never heard that before," Mr. Jacobs said, "What song is that?"

"Oh, it's called Why Don't You Love Me. My boyfriend wrote it before we started dating," I said shyly.

He simply smiled at my comment and said, "Well, you two have beautiful alto voices, so I'll just keep you where you're sitting now."

~

When we got to 5th period, we were allowed to sit wherever, so I sat at a table with MacKenzie, Katia, and Maren. We were talking and laughing when a girl walked over to our table.

"Hey, MacKenzie," she giggled, obviously flirting with him.

"Hi, Avery," he said, keeping his eyes on me.

I looked at him apologetically and gave him a slight smile as Avery continued speaking, "So what are you doing tonight?"

"Actually, I was going to hang out with these guys," he said immediately, looking at Maren, Katia, and I. We nodded quickly in agreement.

"Oh," she said glaring at us, "What are you doing?"

MacKenzie looked at me, and I panicked, blurting out, "Concert."

"I didn't hear anything about a concert tonight."

"Yeah, my boyfriend's band has a show," I said.

"Whatever," she mumbled, walking away.

I let out a sigh and Katia said, "Wait, we're going to the show tonight?"

I stared at her for a moment, "Our boyfriends are in the band! Of course we're going!"

"Is she always that slow?" Maren asked.

"More than she'd like to admit," I said. Katia stuck her tongue out at me and I gladly returned it.

~

As soon as the final bell rang we all jumped from our seats and raced each other to our lockers.

"I win!" I smiled victoriously when I touched my locker barely before MacKenzie touched his.

"I'll get you someday," he chuckled, catching his breath as he opened his locker, putting his notebook on the shelf. "Alright, since you did win, what's your prize?" he asked, closing his locker door.

"Wait, I get a prize?!" I yelled happily.

"As long as you don't bust my eardrums, yeah," he laughed.

I thought for a moment, "Oh! I want a piggy back ride to Jenna's car!"

"I think that can be arranged," he smiled.

MacKenzie turned around, letting me jump on his back, and he followed Jenna, Katia, Maren, and Caity out to Jenna's car. As we got closer to Jenna's car, I noticed Nash standing beside it, looking at us with his eyebrow raised. I jumped off of MacKenzie's back and ran over to Nash, jumping into his arms.

He took a couple steps back and laughed, "I take it you had a good day?"

"I had a better than good day! It was awesome!" I smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"What? Am I not allowed to pick my girlfriend up from school?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

I giggled, "Not without a reason, you don't."

He sighed dramatically, "Alright, you caught me. I thought we could go out to eat before soundcheck, just the two of us." I nodded in response, smiling and giving him a hug.

"Oh! Before I forget! Nash, these are my friends, MacKenzie, Caity, and Maren. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Nash," I smiled.

"Friends?" MacKenzie asked, pretending to be offended as well.

"Best friends," I corrected, sticking my tongue out at him.

"That's more like it," he said, returning the gesture.

They all smiled and Nash joked, "I'm assuming you'll be taking good care of her?"

"Oh, absolutely. Nothing will happen to your girlfriend if we have anything to say about it," MacKenzie laughed.

Right after MacKenzie said that, I got hit in the back of the head with something. I jumped and turned around, rubbing the back of my head, only to see a wadded up paper ball at my feet.

"What is it?" Katia asked as I picked it up.

I shrugged, opening it up and read out loud, "Stay away from MacKenzie or else."

"10 bucks says it was from Avery," Maren said.

MacKenzie groaned, "Ew."

"Am I missing something?" Jenna asked and Nash agreed.

"She wants him, he doesn't want her," I replied, laughing lightly.

"She just thinks he's the cutest boy in the whole school," Caity sighed dramatically.

"Yeah, that's definitely it," MacKenzie chuckled.

"Look, it's not exactly a surprise to anyone that puberty was pretty damn good to you," I shrugged.

"Babe," Nash said as he stared at me.

I giggled, "But it was even better to you!"

"And don't you forget it!" he grinned, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to him, wrapping his arm around me.

"So what are you gonna do about her?" Jenna asked.

"Nothing," I shrugged, "It's not my problem she can't take a hint."

"She is one of those popular girls I told you about this morning though," Caity said.

"Popular girl or not, I'm not just gonna let her scare me into not being friends with someone. Besides, I sit beside MacKenzie in every class, it'd be difficult to avoid him," I replied. Everyone shrugged. "Anyway, food is calling my name, so we'll see you guys at the show tonight," I said. I gave everyone a hug and got into Nash's car.

"Bye, guys. It was nice meeting all of you," I heard Nash say before he opened his door. "So where do you want to go?" he asked, starting the engine.

"Who cares?" I exclaimed, laughing, "I just need better food than what I ate today!" He chuckled, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road.

~

Title: "Fifteen" by Taylor Swift  
Song used: "Why Don't You Love Me" by Hot Chelle Rae ft Demi Lovato


	15. Who Could Deny These Butterflies?

-Danielle-

When Nash and I arrived at the venue a couple hours later for soundcheck, I laughed when I saw who was already waiting at the doors.

"What?" Nash asked.

"I didn't actually think they'd come to the show is all," I smiled.

"Well, you did invite them," he chuckled, pulling into a parking space. I shoved his shoulder before I climbed out of his car.

"Whatever. Don't be a douchbag," I giggled.

"Oh, so now I'm a douchbag?" he said.

"A very hot douchebag," I smirked, grabbing his hand and locking our fingers together as we walked over to everyone.

The group looked at me and yelled in unison, "Danielle!"

"How do you know me?!" I yelled dramatically, "I've never seen you people before in my life!"

"We have our ways," Caity winked.

"Why are you guys waiting outside?" I asked.

"Cam's being a dick and won't let us in," Maren pouted.

"Since when does Cam give out orders around here?" Nash chuckled, leading us all inside. Once we were inside, Nash yelled, "Montgomery! Why'd you lock them out?!"

Cameron looked up from tuning one of the guitars and pouted, "They were making fun of my hair."

I giggled, letting go of Nash's hand and screaming, "Cammy!" Cameron rolled his eyes and smiled, putting the guitar back in the stand as I ran over to him. I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck, giving him a hug, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"That tends to happen when the band doesn't have a show. They forget about the poor little guitar tech," Cameron said dramatically as we let go of each other.

"You've become more of a drama queen since I last saw you," Nash laughed, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"What?!" I yelled, "Is that even possible?!" Cam stuck his tongue out at me and I returned it before he went back to tuning guitars.

-Cameron- (WOOOOOOOOOO.)

"Oh, Cammy! This is Caity, Maren, and MacKenzie. Keep them entertained for a bit while Nash and I go talk with everyone else," Danielle said before wiggling out of Nash's arms, grabbing his hand and running with him to the backroom.

"Wait! I-" I yelled before I was cut off by the door slamming. I turned slowly back to the others and said, "Hello..."

"Hi," Maren waved cheerfully.

"I don't really know how to keep you guys entertained. I mean, I still have these guitars to tune," I said, pointing to some guitars behind me.

"Maybe we can help," Caity shrugged.

"You know how to tune guitars?" I asked skeptically.

"Know how to tune guitars," she laughed sarcastically, "Please. Hand me one you haven't done yet." I grabbed the one closest to me, which happened to be Ian's bass, as she sat down and handed it to her.

As I was watching her, I heard someone laugh, "What, Cam? Did you just get fired?"

"No, actually. Sorry. You're still stuck with me, Keaggy," I chuckled after looking up.

Caity looked up at him as well and he said, "Don't break that. I don't want to have to hit a girl. Especially one as pretty as yourself." She quickly looked back down, smiling and continued tuning.

She finished a couple minutes later and handed Ian his bass, "Play something."

"Why?" Ian chuckled.

"Guitar boy over here doesn't think I know how to tune one of these things," she said, nodding toward me.

I rolled my eyes and Ian laughed, "Well, what do you want me to play?"

She thought for a moment, "How about I Like to Dance?"

Ian grinned, "Alright." He played the first verse, then stopped.

"Dang, Cam. I think she did a better job than you ever do," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes again, "She's not getting my job, if that's what you were hoping for."

She stuck her tongue out at me, "I don't want your job anyway."

I stuck my tongue back out at her and Maren giggled, "Alright, kids. Break it up."

"You only want them to break it up because you think he's cute," MacKenzie smirked.

"Not true!" she shouted, but her face turned a light pink, making me laugh lightly.

"Whatever you say," Caity teased.

"Okay, so she can tune a bass. That doesn't mean she can play it," I said.

Caity laughed sarcastically again, "You are so funny! May I?" she asked Ian, referring to his bass.

"This is gonna be good," Maren giggled as Ian handed Caity his bass again.

She turned to MacKenzie and Maren, "What would you like to hear?"

"Well, I'm quite fond of Last One Standing," MacKenzie said.

Maren was quick to agree with him and Caity said, "Last One Standing it is!"

As she was playing – very well, I might add – I noticed Ian staring at her with a grin on his face. He saw I was looking at him and I smirked, nodding toward Caity. He shook his head, looking away quickly. I chuckled and turned back to Caity just as she stopped playing.

"How's that for can't play?" she said, looking at me.

"Okay, you're good. I'll give you that," I admitted, "Anyone else want to give it a go?"

MacKenzie spoke up, "Do you have an acoustic around here by chance?"

"Of course," Ian chuckled, "Ryan! Where's your acoustic?"

"In here! Why?!" he called back.

"MacKenzie wants to borrow it!" Ryan walked out, guitar in hand, followed by everyone else.

"Who?" he asked, giving Ian his guitar.

"Him," Ian said as he handed the guitar to MacKenzie.

"Oh, right," Danielle giggled, "You haven't met them yet. Ryan, Jamie, this is MacKenzie, Caity, and Maren. We met them today at school."

"Nice to meet you," Jamie smiled.

"I am breathing the same air as Hot Chelle Rae. Pinch me, I'm dreaming," Maren sighed. Caity pinched her, causing Maren to yell, "Ow!"

"What? You said," Caity smiled innocently.

Maren hit her arm, "You know what I meant!"

"Welcome to our lives," MacKenzie chuckled, beginning to play a random song and sing quietly. He stopped about 30 seconds later when he noticed us staring at him. "What?" he asked slowly.

"I don't recognize that song," Ryan said, "What is it?"

"Oh, um, it's called Lost in Love. I wrote it," he replied nervously.

"How do you feel about performing in front of people?" Ryan asked randomly.

"I don't think I'd be too bad at it, I guess. I mean, I really only sing for family and friends at parties and stuff," MacKenzie shrugged.

"Would you be interested in opening for us tonight?"

MacKenzie stared at Ryan for a moment before saying, "Are... Are you sure?"

"Of course! Talent like yours deserves to be heard," Ryan chuckled.

"Wow... Uh... Yeah! Thanks!" MacKenzie grinned.

"You should go get warmed up or whatever because the show starts in a little over an hour," Ian smiled.

"Come on!" Danielle squeaked, pulling him up on stage, "Let's see what you've got!"

MacKenzie laughed at her, "Alright. What do you want me to play?"

"Do you know anything by All Time Low?"

"I know Remembering Sunday, but that's it."

"Good! Sing that!"

"Who's going to sing the female part?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Danielle will!" Jenna yelled.

"And why can't you do it, Miss 'I want to be a singer'?!" Danielle yelled back.

"You suggested it, you should sing it."

"So? That doesn't mean anything!"

"All those in favor of Danielle singing the female part, raise your hand," Ryan said. Everyone but Danielle raised their hands and she immediately glared at Nash.

Nash held his hands up, laughing, "Sorry, babe. Everyone says you're an amazing singer and I wanna hear it."

She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Just start the freaking song." MacKenzie simply laughed as Danielle walked over to Nash's microphone stand, dragging it over beside Ryan's.

He began the song, Danielle came in near the end, and we stared at them.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, you're doing the song tonight."

"Performing this at the show was not part of the deal!" Danielle shouted.

Nash walked over to the stage in front of her, "Please?"

She looked down at him for a few seconds before putting her face in her hands and letting out a muffled groan. He smiled, knowing she was about to give in.

She looked up, glaring at him, "Fine, but if you ever use that look to get me to do something for you ever again, I'm gonna smack you so hard, you won't remember your own name." He chuckled, grabbing her hands as she jumped off of the stage and wrapped his arms around her.

"So asking you to do another song tonight would be too much then?" Ryan asked, smiling innocently.

Danielle looked at him, "Is Jenna suddenly incapable of singing now or something?!"

"Well, it's not really our song..." Jenna trailed off.

"I hate all of you," Danielle said, "Except Cam."

"Whoa there! How do you know he wasn't part of this?" Jamie asked.

"Don't 'whoa there' me. You people never tell him anything."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed.

"We tell him stuff all the time!" Ian said.

"'I need you to go get us some coffee' is not exactly what I had in mind," she told him.

I walked over to her and hugged her tightly, sighing, "Thank you for understanding my pain."

"You're welcome, Cammy," she smirked, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go sit in the back room for half an hour and think about how much I hate everyone but you."

As she walked back, Jamie yelled after her, "Wait! Does that mean you'll sing with Nash?"

"Just as long as you guys learn to sleep with one eye open!" she called back.

Everyone turned to look at me and I threw my hands up, walking back over to the guitars, "Don't look at me. She said she'd do it."

~

Title: "Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low


	16. Even the Sun Sets in Paradise

-Nash-

MacKenzie and Danielle had just walked off stage after singing Remembering Sunday and I walked over to her, "So?"

I wrapped my arms around her and she sighed, "Now I see why you love doing this."

I smiled, letting go of her as Jamie, Ryan, and Ian were preparing to go out, "I'll see you for Why Don't You Love Me."

"Just get out there," she said, lightly hitting my cheek and walking away.

~

When it was time for mine and Danielle's song, Ryan, Jamie, and Ian walked offstage and I moved to Ryan's mic.

"Hey, guys," I said. The crowd screamed, making me laugh, "So, how many of you have heard Why Don't You Love Me?" They screamed again and I said, "Okay, good! Now, how many of you know who the song is about?" I heard a few cheers from behind me, only to look in that direction and see everyone backstage grinning at me. I rolled my eyes, but laughed, facing the front again, "What would you guys say if I brought her out here to sing this song with me?" They screamed again, only to scream louder when Danielle walked out. She took her spot beside me, smiling and giving a small wave to the crowd. "How are you on this fine evening?" I asked her.

"Just start the song before I change my mind," she smiled sweetly, looking up at me.

I started playing as I said, "Isn't she lovely?" They laughed and I started playing the song.

As Danielle was singing her part, I could tell she was putting everything she had into it. I kept glancing from her to the crowd and they had the same mixture of shock and amazement on their faces as I did. I smiled at her and we finished the song.

Right after we sang the last line, I grabbed Danielle and hugged her, making the crowd scream. I felt her laugh before we walked backstage, Danielle high-fiving Ryan was he was walking onto the stage to do Bleed and Last One Standing.

We went over to get a drink and she suddenly looked at me, "I'm gonna have to sing that with you at every show now, aren't I?"

I laughed and nodded, "Yeah, probably." She groaned, opening the bottle of Coke she picked up and I continued speaking, "If it helps, I could tell the crowd really loved you. The emotion you put into it was incredible."

"It helps when you mean the words you're singing," she shrugged, taking a drink. I looked at her for a moment before wrapping my arms around her tightly and resting my chin on top of her head.

"Hey, man. We gotta go back onstage," Ian said, walking by us. I nodded and kissed Danielle's head.

I grabbed my guitar and started walking to the stage when I heard Danielle say loudly, "Hey!" I spun around and looked at her and she motioned for me to go to back over to her. I did and she stood on her toes and kissed my lips. She pulled away and pushed my shoulder, facing me toward the stage again, "Okay, I'm good. You can go now." She smiled, making me laugh and shake my head as I walked onstage with Jamie and Ian.

~

-Danielle-

I was sitting with Cameron, MacKenzie, Jenna, Katia, Maren, and Caity backstage when I randomly got thirsty.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get another Coke," I announced, "Do any of you guys want anything?"

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper, please!" Maren smiled. Everyone else shook our heads and I skipped over to the table where the drinks were.

As I picked up my Coke and Maren's Dr. Pepper, I heard someone say, "Hey, Danielle."

I turned around and nearly yelled, "Jordan! How... How did you get back here?"

"I told you I'd see you again," he smiled – but it wasn't a happy smile, it was more of a mischievous smirk.

And I finally had enough. I figured now was a better time than any to stand up for myself.

I felt a sudden wave of anger take over and I slammed my hand down on the table and shouted, "That didn't answer my question! How the hell did you get back here?!"

He was a little shocked, but laughed, "I'm a musician, Danielle. It's not that difficult for me to get backstage at a concert. Plus, it helps when you know one of the performers."

"Who?"

Jordan looked behind me and nodded, "Him." I turned around and saw MacKenzie walking back with Cameron and the girls.

"What's going on? We heard yelling," Katia said, worried.

"Wait, how do you know him?" I asked, confused.

"He's my cousin," Jordan answered as if I should have known all along.

"What are you doing here?" MacKenzie asked Jordan, "I thought you were on tour."

"I came back a little early to get what's rightfully mine," he replied, looking at me. I laughed loudly, then turned to Katia and Jenna, who looked completely lost.

"Guys, this is Jordan," I told them, "The ex I told you about the other day." A look of realization soon appeared on their faces, quickly followed by anger.

"What's he doing here?" Jenna asked.

"Did I not just answer that?" Jordan asked, rolling his eyes.

I shook my head, "Why?"

Jordan looked at me, "Why what?"

"Why would you dump me and tell me you don't need me, only to try to get me back two years later?"

He smirked, "You don't need to worry about why. Just come with me."

He grabbed my wrist and I screamed, pulling back quickly, breaking out of his grasp. Cameron and security escorted Jordan out of the venue while the rest of the group and I went back to the couch.

"He's relentless," I mumbled, resting my head on MacKenzie's shoulder.

"He's not even that cute," Katia commented. I looked over at her and she giggled, "You know it's true."

I laid my head back down on MacKenzie's shoulder and chuckled, "He isn't, is he?"

"No," Jenna laughed.

"Why'd you date him?" Cameron asked, plopping down on the couch in between Katia and I.

I shrugged, "Caught in the moment, I suppose. I never thought guys actually wanted to date me and I guess I thought he was attractive at that time, so I said yes. The night we celebrated his record deal was the first night I told him I loved him, he said it back, but I could tell he didn't mean it. Then two months later, he's already in Nashville and called to tell me he didn't need me anymore. Sometimes, guys only keep you around to be told what they want to hear before they just leave."

"Is that what you think I'm going to do? Just leave you if this song gets big?" I heard someone ask behind us. We all immediately turned around and saw Nash and the rest of the band standing there.

I shook my head, "Nash, I never said that."

"But you're thinking it and that's kind of the same thing!" His voice was raised more than it would be if he were just talking, but he wasn't shouting.

"Nash, there's no need to yell at her," Ian said slowly.

Nash looked at him, "I'm not yelling at her!"

"Nash!" Ryan shouted.

"What is up with you, man?" Jamie asked, shocked.

"Maybe I don't like the fact that my girlfriend has her head laying on another guy's shoulder! Did you ever think about that?" he asked no one in particular, but had his eyes on me.

"So you're accusing me of cheating on you with MacKenzie? Is that it?" I asked, more angry than anything else.

"Maybe I am," he shrugged.

I laughed loudly, "Nash, MacKenzie is one of my best friends! I would never cheat on you!"

"And how can I be so sure of that?" he asked, making everyone stared at him in complete shock. "You know what? I shouldn't have asked you out. You're only 17 anyway," Nash said, walking away. I watched him, but I didn't go after him or anything. I couldn't. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe; All I could do was stare.

"What just happened?" Maren asked slowly.

I felt tears suddenly begin to form as I looked at her, "He just dumped me, that's what happened."

I stood up and ran off in the opposite direction Nash did, out the venue door and down the street. Lucky for me, the venue wasn't that far from the house, and even though I made a couple wrong turns, I made it home fairly quickly. I opened the front door and closed it quietly, hoping no one would hear me come in.

"You're home early," I heard Adrienne say, "Where are Jamie and Ryan?"

"Still at the venue, I'm guessing," I said, sniffling lightly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, getting off of the couch and rushing over to me.

"Ryan and Jamie were right. I shouldn't have started dating Nash," I mumbled, not looking at her, "I'll be in my room." I rushed upstairs, hoping Adrienne wouldn't follow me, and to my relief, she didn't.

I was sitting on the floor at the foot of my bed when I heard the front door close a few minutes later, then faint voices. Someone walked up the steps and lightly knocked on my door. I looked at the door as it opened slowly, only to see Jamie standing behind it. He closed the door behind him and walked over to me, sitting down beside me.

"Ryan's talking to Nash," he said randomly.

"That's nice," I muttered.

"Well, he's probably yelling at him more than talking to him."

"Good."

Jamie looked at me for a moment before wrapping his arms around me tightly. I suddenly felt sad, angry, heartbroken – everything I felt every time a guy broke up with me. He pulled me into his lap as I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head into his chest, letting go of all the tears I'd been holding in for the past 10 minutes.

-Ryan-

After Danielle ran out of the venue, I immediately took off after Nash. I found him in our dressing room, not really doing much of anything, just pacing. My anger got the best of me as I walked over to him and punched his arm as hard as I could.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" he yelled.

"You know exactly what that was for! I told you not to hurt her! You promised me you wouldn't!" I yelled back.

"Well, she was hanging all over that kid! She has been since I saw her after school today!"

"Nash, she is not cheating on you! I don't know what part of your fucked up mind would accuse her of that, but good luck trying to get her back," I said as I walked out of the room, "Because I'm not about to let you do this to her again."

-MacKenzie-

After we had all pretty much gotten over the shock of Nash and Danielle's fight, I was looking around the room when I saw a phone on the floor.

"Hey," I said, walking over to it and picking it up, "Who's phone is this?"

"Check the wallpaper," Ian suggested. I pushed a random button and saw a picture of Nash and Danielle set as the wallpaper.

"Definitely Danielle's," Jenna said, looking over my shoulder.

"Where does she live? I'll go take it to her," I said randomly.

"How can we be sure she wants to see anyone right now though?" Katia asked nervously.

"Jamie went to go talk to her, didn't he?" Caity asked.

"Yeah, but they've been inseparable ever since she got here," Ryan said as he walked back into the room, "If she'd let anyone see her right now, it'd be Jamie." He then looked at me, "I'll take you to see her, but I can't promise she'll want to see you."

I nodded, "I just want to try to talk to her. I am the reason this is happening," I mumbled the last sentence.

"This isn't your fault, you know," Ryan said as we left the venue.

"It kind of is though," I sighed, "Maybe if she hadn't of had her head on my shoulder, her and Nash would still be together."

"Don't blame yourself. If you're going to blame anyone, it should be Nash. It's not really any secret that his temper isn't exactly managed," he laughed lightly.

I chuckled, "I guess, but I feel like if Jordan hadn't shown up-"

Ryan interrupted me, "Wait, Jordan was there?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, "He came in a little after Jamie, Nash, and Ian went back on stage..."

Ryan groaned, "That kid just won't leave her alone." I was about to ask what he meant, but he said, "Well, here's my house. I'll show you up to her room, but she might not feel like talking to anyone else." I nodded again and simply followed Ryan into his house. We got to a door and he knocked on it.

"Yeah?" I heard Jamie ask.

"MacKenzie's here for Danielle!" Ryan called to him.

It took a moment, but Jamie said, "Alright."

"It's all yours," Ryan said, walking away. I turned the knob and opened the door slowly to see Jamie sitting on the floor with Danielle in his lap. She sniffled and wiped her cheeks, climbing out of Jamie's lap.

"Can you give us a few minutes?" she asked him quietly.

He nodded, kissing her forehead and standing up. He walked out, giving me a slight shrug on the way. I walked into the room and closed the door behind me, sitting on the floor beside Danielle where Jamie was. She looked at me as if she were asking why I was here and I pulled her phone out of my pocket.

"You dropped this," I told her, handing her her phone.

"Thanks," she sniffled quietly, taking it out of my hand.

"I'm really sorry, Danielle," I said.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked.

"You two broke up because of me."

She laughed lightly, "It wasn't your fault, MacKenzie. His jealousy just got the best of him."

"Why would he be jealous? It's not like I was hitting on you or anything."

"I told you! Puberty wasn't all that bad to you," she giggled, "And you totally wanted to hit on me. I mean, look at me. Why wouldn't you?"

I chuckled, "Oh, you're right. I can barely hold myself together around you." She pushed my shoulder and laughed, calming down a few seconds later. "So are you going to try to get him back?" I asked. She shook her head and I stared at her, "Why not?"

She shrugged, "He accused me of cheating on him. I'm not just going to forgive him and beg him to take me back when I've done absolutely nothing wrong. I have an idea, but I'm gonna need some help."

~

Title: "Payphone" by Maroon 5


	17. Our Chorus Came Out Unrehearsed

-MacKenzie-

After Danielle told me her plan, we walked downstairs and into her living room where Ryan and Jamie were with who I'm assuming their mom.

"Hey, guys," Danielle said, walking into the room, looking at them, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" They nodded and she raised her eyebrows, "Outside."

"Sure," Ryan said, confused as he and Jamie stood up and followed us outside. We sat on the porch in a little circle and Danielle told them what she told me.

"MacKenzie's already agreed to teach me how to play guitar, I just need the time Nash and I would normally take to sing our song to be just me onstage," she finished.

Ryan shook his head, "Not happening."

"Why not?"

"I told you from the beginning that I wasn't happy about you two dating and what he did tonight just made it obvious I should have done more to stop you."

Danielle rolled her eyes, "Ryan, we would have found a way to date even if you had tried to stop us. If he thinks me singing a song is my way of apologizing for something I never did, he needs to reevaluate some things."

"So why are you wanting to do this then?" Jamie asked.

"I'm not going down without a fight," she grinned mischievously, "And I know the prefect way to do it."

~

-Ryan-

*Two weeks later*

"I can't. I told Danielle I'd teach her how to play guitar today," I told the guys when they asked if I wanted to hang out.

"I was supposed to teach her," Nash mumbled.

"Yeah, well, you kinda fucked that one up," Jamie said harshly. Nash looked at Jamie like he was going to say something, but I saw his eyes move to look behind me. I turned around and saw Danielle walking down the stairs.

"Hey, Ry. I'm ready to test out your wonderful teaching skills," I heard the sarcasm in her voice.

"Very cute, Danielle" I replied.

"Isn't that what you called it?" she smirked. She finally noticed Ian and Nash standing in the room and squeaked, "Keaggy! I haven't seen you in forever!"

She trotted over to him and hugged him as he chuckled, "Well, that kind of happens when you've been avoiding us."

"I'd hardly say I'm avoiding you." Nash laughed lightly, but she ignored him and continued, "I just haven't felt the need to be around certain people you call your friends."

"I'm standing right here," Nash said.

"Really? I didn't notice," she shot back.

"Guys!" Jamie interrupted, "Please."

"So what are you doing here?" she asked, turning back to Ian.

"We were wondering if RK and Jamie wanted to hang out today, but apparently, RK's using his wonderful teaching skills to teach you how to play guitar," he answer, laughing.

"Why don't you go hang out with them?" she asked me.

"I promised I'd teach you how to play," I said.

"It's cool," she shrugged, "I'll just call MacKenzie and ask him to work with me on it today." I saw Nash's face drop as a look of hurt replaced his expression.

"You sure?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yup. I know nothing MacKenzie can teach me can be compared to what you would, but I'll just have to make it work."

I rolled my eyes, "You're just full of cute today, aren't you?"

She smiled sweetly, "Yes, I am. Now go have fun, but don't do anything illegal. I don't have the money to bail you out of jail." She pushed Jamie and I out of the house. We shrugged and walked down the porch steps and over to my car. As we were walking, Danielle shouted, "Don't forget we have a date tomorrow, Keaggy!"

Ian laughed, "I know!"

"Which means don't get drunk tonight."

"I'm not gonna get drunk!"

"Pinky promise?"

He sprinted back over to the front door and linked his pinky with hers, "Pinky promise." She smiled before whispering something in his ear, making him laugh and say, "Okay." Ian jogged back to the car and hopped in the backseat as Nash stared at him. "What?" he asked, buckling his seatbelt as I pulled out of the driveway.

"Why are you going on a date with her?" Nash asked.

Ian rolled his eyes, "I'm just giving her a photography lesson. You know? From when I told her I would the first day we met her?" Nash let out a breath and Ian muttered, "It's not like it would matter even if I were dating her. You're not her boyfriend anymore."

"Well, you know I still have feelings for her!" Nash argued.

"You should have thought about that before you broke her heart."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," he said, rolling his eyes.

"You know what, man?" I interrupted angrily, "You try being in the room next to her and having to listen to her cry herself to sleep every night, then tell me it's not that bad."

I felt kind of bad when I saw the look on his face, but Jamie interrupted my thoughts, shouting, "Guys! Can we not fight right now? I'm pissed at Nash too, but can we just not talk about it for the rest of the day, please?" We all mumbled in agreement and just spent the day hanging out.

~

-Danielle-

*Two months later*

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ryan asked.

I sighed, "Yes, Ryan. Just like I've been sure the last 50 times you've asked me today."

"I just want you to be prepared for what may very well happen after you walk off that stage."

"It's been over two months. I bet he's over me and has moved on by now," I rolled my eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," he mumbled.

"What are yo-" I was cut off by Zach telling the guys it was time to go on. I shrugged off whatever Ryan meant as he walked onstage with the rest of the band and just waited for my turn.

~

Halfway through the set, Jamie, Nash, and Ian walked backstage as Ryan was getting ready for Bleed and Last One Standing. I hopped up and walked toward the stage as the guys walked by me.

"What are you doing?" I heard Nash ask.

"You'll see," I said without turning around. I could feel his stare as I walked to the side of the stage where MacKenzie was standing, holding his guitar out for me.

"Don't screw up," he said as I lifted the strap over my head and let it rest on my shoulder, moving the guitar behind my back.

"Oh, very funny," I laughed sarcastically, hitting his shoulder. I looked at MacKenzie again, "Nash is staring at me, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah," he said.

"He is not going to like what I'm about to do next."

"What do you mean?" I leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence in hoping I don't screw up," I giggled.

"You're welcome. I may or may not be dead when you get off stage," MacKenzie said.

"I can feel his anger burning through the back of my head," I chuckled.

"Believe me, it's not too pretty head-on either," he laughed.

~

Ryan's songs had finally ended and he was now talking to the crowd, "Who's ready for a duet?" The crowd screamed and he laughed loudly, "Well, you're not gonna get one!"

"Don't be an ass, Ryan," I laughed, walking onstage and stopping beside him.

"I'm not! I'm just saying!"

"Ryan, I'm saying this because I love you, get the fuck off stage," I smiled.

"Oh, who's being an ass now?" he smirked.

"I am. Now go."

He ruffled my hair a bit before trudging off stage where everyone else was standing, watching me. I heard Nash ask what was going on, but I stayed facing the crowd.

"How are y'all doing tonight?" I asked. They screamed and I smiled, "I know this is usually the part of the show where Nash and I would sing Why Don't You Love Me, but as most, if not all, of you know, he and I are no longer together." I heard a few 'aw's, making me chuckle, "It's okay. Sometimes things are better left unsaid. This, however, is not one of those times. I've been writing this song for the past couple months, trying to get it perfect and I think I've finally got it there. So if it's okay with you guys, I thought I'd sing it for you tonight." They cheered and I glanced at Nash, noticing he was looking at me intently as I begun the song.

The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting  
Could it be that we have been this way before?  
I know you don't think that I am trying  
I know you're wearing thin down to the core  
But hold your breath

Because tonight will be the night   
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind   
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear, it's true  
Because a guy like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find

This is not what I intended  
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
You always thought that I was stronger  
I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start  
Oh, but hold your breath

Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear, it's true  
Because a guy like you is impossible to find  
It's impossible

So breathe in so deep  
Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep  
And hold onto your words 'cause talk is cheap  
And remember me tonight when you're asleep

Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear, it's true  
Because a guy like you is impossible to find

Tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear, it's true  
Because a guy like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find

The crowd screamed and I glanced over at Nash again, only to see him smiling lightly. I'll admit I felt kind of bad for continuing on because I'm sure it was the first time he's smiled in a quite a long time, but I knew deep down he really did kind of deserve this.

When the screams died down, I said, "While that song is great and I'm really proud of it, I thought it didn't really get my feelings out because it's pretty sappy and that's basically the complete opposite of how I feel at this point, so I wrote another one, if that's okay." They cheered and I looked at Nash, noticing the smile on his face disappeared. I smirked lightly, turning back and starting to play.

I'm throwing away pictures  
That I never should have taken in the first place  
And it's cold in my apartment  
As I'm changing all the colors  
From the brightest reds to greys

Well, it's three o'clock on Monday morning  
I'm just hoping you're not seeing her face  
I've been getting calls in these hotel rooms  
Long enough to know that it was her  
That took my place

And I hope this makes you happy now  
That the flame we had is burning out  
And I hope you like your pictures facing down  
As even broken hearts may have their doubts

And I'm burning all the letters  
Hoping that I might forget him and the bad taste  
That he left when he was leaving me  
A life of barely breathing as he walked  
Out of this place

And you dropped the note and we changed key  
You changed yourself and I changed me  
I really didn't see us singing through this

Then you screamed the bridge and I cried the verse  
And our chorus came out unrehearsed  
And you smiled the whole way through it  
I'm guessing maybe that's what's worse

And I hope this makes you happy now  
That the flame we had is burning out  
And I hope you like your pictures facing down

As even broken hearts may have their doubts  
And I'm taking all your memories off the shelf  
Cause I don't need you or anybody else  
So take a look at me  
See what you wanna see when you get home

Take me home, I'd rather die than be with you  
Take me home, you had a problem with the truth  
Take me home, because this happens every time  
And I knew it would, I knew it would

Take me home, I'd rather die than be with you  
Take me home, you have a problem with the truth  
Take me home, because this happens every time  
And I knew it would, I knew it would

And I hope this makes you happy now  
That the flame we had is burning out  
And I hope you like your pictures facing down  
As even broken hearts may have their doubts

And I'm taking all your memories off the shelf  
Cause I don't need you or anybody else  
So take a look at me  
See what you wanna see when you get home

I gave the crowd a little bow as they screamed when I finished the song, then walked over to where everyone else was standing. I felt Nash staring at me as I lifted MacKenzie's guitar off my shoulder and handed it back to him.

"Thank you, dear," I told him. I started to walk away as the guys retook the stage when someone grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

"What the hell was that about?!" Nash shouted.

"I think they call it singing or something like that," I replied sarcastically.

"You know what I meant! Why would you do that?"

"Well, as you said before, it's easier to put your feelings into songs than into words," I smiled sweetly at him, "But, you know, with the craziness that happened a couple months ago, we never really said a proper goodbye." He looked at me funny and I could tell he was about to say something, but I didn't give him the chance. I grabbed his face and smashed my lips against his. I pushed back on his shoulders a few seconds later and looked at him. "Have a nice life, Overstreet," I said before turning around and walking out of the venue, not looking back.

~

Title/song used: "If You Wanted a Song Written About You, All You Had to Do Was Ask" by Mayday Parade  
Other song used: "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade


	18. I Gave You My Heart, You Ripped it Apart

-Danielle-

A couple more weeks had passed and it was finally the Friday before Christmas break. Maren, Katia, MacKenzie, and I were in our photography class, not really doing anything. Mr. Kennedy took us outside to take pictures of the freshly fallen snow for about 20 minutes, then took us back into the classroom and let us just hang out for the rest of the class period.

"What are you guys doing for Christmas?" Maren asked.

I shrugged, "We're having the band come over for the day. You guys are invited too if you're not doing anything too special."

"Isn't you-know-who gonna be there though?" MacKenzie asked.

"Yes," I chuckled, "He is part of the band, you know."

"So do your parents know about him?" Katia asked.

"Nope," I shook my head, "We broke up before Thanksgiving, so it wasn't really necessary to bring it up then. And I don't think we'll be getting back together any time soon."

"I thought you were supposed to be all depressed about this or something," Maren giggled.

"I don't really see the point in being depressed about it. I mean, I knew it would happen at some point. I don't find the use of being sad about something I didn't even do," I laughed. They shrugged and the last bell finally rung. We all jumped up from our seats and raced to our lockers, just as we did almost every day.

MacKenzie barely beat me, yelling, "Finally! God, I thought I'd never beat you here."

"All that persistence finally paid off," I giggled, ruffling his hair, "What's your prize?"

He thought for a moment, "You can't take any of my food at the Christmas dinner."

I laughed, "Deal! And don't be a stranger either. You know you're welcome any time, not just on special occasions."

He smirked, "Then I'll be over a little later to teach you how to tune a guitar."

I put my hand over my heart, "That really hurt, MacKenzie. Why would you say something like that?"

"Because you can't tune a guitar," he laughed.

"Ouch," I said sarcastically before laughing along.

"Sometime today would be lovely," Jenna yelled.

"I'm right across the hall, Jenna! You don't need to yell!" I yelled back. She stuck her tongue out at me and I gladly returned it. "I should go. My ride's getting sassy again," I giggled, turning back to MacKenzie.

"Why don't I just take you home? I need to help you with your guitar tuning anyway," he smiled innocently.

I laughed sarcastically at him before looking at Jenna and Katia, "You guys can go. MacKenzie's gonna take me home."

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow," Jenna said as they both walked down the hall.

MacKenzie and I started walking out to the parking lot when he suddenly said, "Oh, I forgot my keys in my locker. I'll meet you at my car."

"Way to go, genius," I laughed as he turned around and ran back. As I was turning a corner, a guy walked out and stopped in front of me.

"You're Danielle, right?" he asked.

"Yeah..." I said slowly, looking at him.

"Oh, right. We haven't met. I'm Noah." He stuck out his hand and I took it, shaking it cautiously.

"So, um, how do you know me exactly?"

"I hear you're single," he winked, ignoring my question and taking a step toward me.

I backed away from him just as I felt an arm wrap around my waist, "She's actually not, Alexander, and I'd appreciate it if you left her alone."

"Ah, MacKenzie," Noah said, leaning against a locker, "Avery's not going to like hearing about this."

"I don't think Natalie will either. You know, your girlfriend?" MacKenzie said in an annoyed tone. Noah's face dropped into a seemingly angered expression, but he simply walked away without saying anything.

When Noah was out of sight, MacKenzie let go of my waist and we walked outside.

"Thanks for that, by the way," I said, "But seriously, how does he know me?"

"He keeps tabs on all the girls at this school," MacKenzie answered, "Avery and Natalie do most of the information finding for him and tell him anything new."

"So how did he not know two months ago when it actually happened?"

He shrugged, "Beats me. All I know is don't tell anyone anything you wouldn't want the whole school to know, because they will find out."

"Gotta love high school," I sighed.

~

About 20 minutes later, MacKenzie pulled into my driveway and we go out of his car. He opened the back door and pulled out his guitar.

"Do you always have that with you or something?" I asked, giving him a look.

"Yeah!" he laughed at my expression, "You never know when you're going to need a guitar, Danielle!" He ruffled my hair again as we walked into the house.

"I'm home!" I called out.

Adrienne came out of the kitchen and smiled at us, "Hello!"

"MacKenzie, this is my aunt, Adrienne. Aunt Adrienne, this is MacKenzie. I met him at school. I forgot you two haven't officially met," I giggled.

"Nice to meet you, MacKenzie," Adrienne said happily.

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Follese," he smiled back.

"Please, dear, call me Adrienne. Anything else makes me feel old."

He chuckled, "Will do, Adrienne."

"Well, MacKenzie says I need help learning how to tune guitars, so we'll be upstairs," I told her as I stuck my tongue out at him.

Adrienne nodded, "Are you staying for dinner, MacKenzie?"

"I wouldn't want you to cook more than you have to," he replied.

She laughed lightly, "I've got three guys and Danielle to feed; One more person is nothing."

"You have a daughter and yourself too, you know!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but we don't eat nearly as much as you and the boys do," she said, making MacKenzie chuckle.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was a crime to enjoy food! Yes, he's staying for dinner. Let's go," I said quickly, grabbing MacKenzie's hand and rushing upstairs.

"I should warn you that Ian and Nash will be here as well!" she called after us.

"As long as I don't have to sit near Nash, I'm all good!" I called back, pulling MacKenzie into my room and starting with the guitar lessons.

-Jamie-

Ryan, Nash, Ian, and I were all sitting in the studio we had in our basement when we heard Danielle shout, "As long as I don't have to sit near Nash, I'm all good!" I looked at Nash and saw the hurt expression on his face, but he quickly brushed it off.

"So," he said, "Are you guys in or what?"

"Nash, I don't know about this," Ian said.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, "Even if she does forgive you, the chances of her agreeing to be your girlfriend again aren't that good. You accused her of cheating on you in front of everyone."

He sighed, "I've said I'm sorry so many times! Why won't you forgive me?"

"It's not us you need to be apologizing to. It's the girl that cried in my lap for 10 minutes the day you broke her heart and the girl that has cried herself to sleep every night since," I said angrily, standing up and leaving the room.

I walked upstairs from the basement and saw MacKenzie and Danielle in the living room. MacKenzie was sitting on the couch and Danielle was laying upside down, playing a guitar.

Danielle looked at me and smiled, "Jamiebear!"

"Does she always do this?" MacKenzie asked.

I chuckled and nodded, "More than the normal person should." Danielle rolled her eyes and was about to comment before we heard someone coming up the stairs.

"Jamie, can we just ta-" Nash froze when he saw Danielle and they looked at each other for a moment before he said, "Hi, Danielle."

"Nash," she mumbled. She stood up and grabbed MacKenzie's hand, pulled him toward the front door, looked at me, said "Come get us when dinner's ready." and walked out of the house.

I shrugged and Nash asked, "How do you know where she'll be?"

"She always goes to the old treehouse when she needs to be alone or talk or whatever," I replied.

"Oh," he said, "I'll be right back."

"Don't even think about it, Nash. If she finds you eavesdropping, she's not gonna like it," I warned.

He shook his head, "She already hates me. I've got nothing left to lose."

He walked out and I sighed, mumbling, "Whatever."

-Nash-

I quietly walked over to the old treehouse in Jamie and Ryan's backyard and saw Danielle and MacKenzie sitting with their legs hanging over the side as I hid behind a nearby tree, far enough away so that I could leave without them knowing, but close enough that I could hear what they were saying.

"Promise this stays between you and me?" Danielle asked. MacKenzie nodded and she sighed, "Truthfully, I don't think I can really be mad at him because I'd be a liar if I said I wouldn't have thought the same thing if it were him and another girl."

"So why don't you forgive him and start dating him again?" he asked.

"Because I know how it feels to be cheated on and I don't want to make somebody hurt like that knowing I caused it. I could never do that – especially to him. If he's accused me once, I know he's always going to think about it when I'm not with him. I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me," she replied.

"You know what I think?" MacKenzie said. She looked at him and he continued, "I think you're in love with him, but you're too scared to fall for someone again. I think you want to be with him more than you've ever wanted anything, but you're afraid it will end up like what happened with Jordan."

She laughed nervously, "I am not in love with him. We were only together for three months. I can't be in love with him."

MacKenzie chuckled, "You're lying. I see the way you look at him. I see the hurt on your face when they skip playing Why Don't You Love Me at their shows or even mention the song. Maybe you can't admit to yourself that you are, but everyone else can see it." As I smiled to myself, I heard someone walking up behind me.

"You might want to get back inside before I tell them dinner's ready," Jamie said quietly.

"Thanks, man," I replied, rushing back into the house as Jamie went to go get Danielle and MacKenzie for dinner.

~

Title: "Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass" by All Time Low


	19. Just Say You Love Me and I'll Say I'm Sorry

-Danielle-

*Christmas morning*

I woke up suddenly when I felt someone shaking me.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty! It's Christmas!" Jamie exclaimed.

I groaned, "Aren't Anna and I supposed to be the ones waking everyone up. We are the youngest, you know."

"Age means nothing in this house! Let's go!" I groaned again, reaching out to him.

"Carry me," I pouted. He rolled his eyes, but picked me up anyway and walked downstairs. Ryan stared at us as Jamie set me down on the couch and sat beside me.

I looked around, "Where are Uncle Keith, Aunt Adrienne, and Anna?"

"They went out to get some last minute things, but they wanted Jamie and I to stay in case some people got here early," Ryan answered. I simply nodded and we heard a knock on the door.

"We come bearing gifts!" Jenna announced loudly, walking in with Katia and Ian.

"Yeah, they do," Ian remarked sarcastically, carrying a couple bags.

"Shut up, we bought them," Katia giggled, causing him to roll his eyes.

I looked at them, "Where's Nash?"

Ian looked at me, surprised I asked, and said, "He had some errands to run, but he'll be here later... He said not to wait for him." I shrugged it off and we opened our presents.

~

When we finished, we were all talking and laughing when Jenna suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, wait! There's still one more!" She reached into one of the bags Ian carried in and threw a small box at me, "From Katia and I!" I jumped as it landed in my lap and gave them a weird look. She and Katia laughed at my expression and exclaimed at the same time, "Just open it!" I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box to see it filled with glittery purple guitar picks.

I gasped lightly, laughing, "My three favorite things all together in one box!"

I hugged Jenna and Katia as Ian smiled, "It gets better!"

"What could possibly be better than purple, glitter, and guitar picks combined?!" I exclaimed.

"Something to use them with, perhaps," Ryan chuckled, reaching behind the couch, revealing a light purple acoustic guitar.

"Aw, did you get a new guitar, Ryan?" I smirked, making the others laugh.

"No," he said, "You did."

He set it in my lap and I looked at him in slight shock, "This is mine?"

"Yup! No more having to borrow mine or MacKenzie's," he said cheerfully.

"Alright, who am I hugging for this?" I asked, looking at the guys.

"All of us," Jamie chuckled.

"Mostly Nash," Ryan said, "He picked it out, but we all chipped in and bought it for you." I forced a smile at the mention of Nash and gave all the guys a hug.

"Remind me to thank him later, I guess," I said as I moved away.

"Speaking of Nash – go get dressed," Ian said.

"Something warm," Ryan added, "You'll be going outside."

I pouted, "I don't wanna leave the house!"

Jamie gave me puppy dog eyes and stuck out his bottom lip, "Please?"

"Don't give me that look, Jamie Christian," I mumbled, hitting his cheek lightly before getting up and going upstairs to get dressed.

~

I went back down to the living room about 10 minutes later, only to see that everyone but Jamie had left.

"Where did everyone go?" I asked, confused.

He simply smiled, handing me a folded piece of paper, "Don't hate us too much." He pulled me out of the front door and closed it, pushing me to his car. I was about to ask what was going on, but Jamie stopped me, "I'm not answering any questions regarding the current situation you've found yourself in. I am merely here to drive you around."

I shrugged, unfolding the paper and reading; First clue: The air hockey table in the arcade where we first met.

"Okay.." I said aloud to myself, confused.

Soon enough, we arrived at the arcade and walked inside. When the air hockey table was in sight, I saw Ryan standing there, holding a purple daisy and a paper. He handed them to me and I looked at him. He shook his head and I sighed, "Right. No questions."

Ryan smiled and nodded in response as I unfolded the paper; Second clue: The booth in the restaurant where I got to know you.

Jamie pulled on my hand and took me back out to the car, driving me to the restaurant. We went through the door and saw Ian sitting at a booth with a purple daisy and a paper in his hand as well. We walked over and he smiled at me, handing me the flower and paper.

I immediately unfolded the piece of paper and read; Third clue: The place we had our first kiss.

Jamie then took me to the venue where Nash sang Why Don't You Love Me for the first time. We went backstage and saw Jenna standing there with – big surprise – a purple daisy and a note.

Jenna smiled and I read the note; Fourth clue: The place I ruined everything.

I bit my lip when we got to the backstage entrance of the venue where Nash and I broke up, trying not to cry. Katia was standing there with a flower and note in her hands, giving me an almost sad smile. I gave her a look, knowing she was only smiling sadly because of the bad memories this place brought back for me.

I opened the note; Fifth clue: The place I realized I was in love with you.

My breath caught in my throat as Jamie grabbed my hand and pulled me back to his car once again, driving me back home. I looked at him as we got out of the car and he came over to my side, retaking my hand in his and lightly pulling me to the backyard. He brought me to the ladder of the treehouse and motioned for me to climb up. I grasped the flowers tightly as I climbed the ladder, seeing Nash sitting on the edge with his legs hanging off the side when I reached the top.

He turned to look at me and I saw he was holding a purple daisy and a note, just as everyone else had been. I moved over to sit down beside him and he handed me the flower and note, still not having said a single word.

I opened the note and read; Last clue: The place we are right now, the place I'm hoping you'll take me back, and the place I told you I love you for the first time.

I felt Nash looking at me as I stared at the note for a bit longer, only realizing I was crying when a tear fell and hit my thumb. I wiped my cheek as I finally looked up at him to meet his gaze.

"I love you, Danielle," he said, his voice cracking. I bit my lip and put my hand on his cheek lightly, pulling his face closer to mine and kissing him softly.

"I love you too, Nash," I whispered when we broke apart.

It started snowing as he asked quietly, "Will you take me back?"

I shook my head and gave him a small smile, "I never left," kissing him again.

~

Title: "Stay" by Mayday Parade


	20. Baby, I Can Ease the Ache, so Let Me Give Your Heart a Break

-Danielle-

Nash and I broke our kiss again, but this time, it was because we heard people cheering. We looked down at the ground to see Ryan, Ian, Katia, and Jenna had joined Jamie and were looking up at us, grinning widely. Nash kissed my forehead and stood up, taking my hand and pulling me up, and we climbed down the ladder. Once my feet hit the ground, Nash wrapped his arms around me tightly and everyone else ran over, tackling us with hugs.

"Not that I don't feel all warm and fuzzy right now," I said, "But can we maybe hug inside? It's cold as fuck out here."

"We told you to dress warmly," Ian laughed as we walked inside.

"Since when have I ever listened to you guys?" I asked innocently.

"Since you don't want to be thrown over my shoulder," he winked.

"And what if I do?" I challenged.

"Well then," he smirked, "I'd say anything for you, princess." He jumped over to me, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder before I had time to react.

"Ian," I laughed as he carried me through the door.

"Yes, Danielle?" I could hear his smile.

"One day, when – I mean, if – you get a girlfriend and she doesn't tell you that you have a nice ass on a daily basis, I'm gonna slap her, okay?"

"Nash!" Ian whined, "Your girlfriend is hitting on me and it's making me feel uncomfortable!"

Nash chuckled, "Hand her over." Ian dropped his shoulder slightly so that I rolled off of him and into Nash's arms.

"What?!" I squeaked, "I'm just saying!"

"Why don't you just say it to RK and Jamie?" he laughed.

"Because they're my cousins and that would be weird!"

"Well, there you go."

"Whoa, I'm not saying they don't, I'm saying it would be weird if I said it."

"You just said it," Ryan laughed.

"And now you feel weird, don't you?" I giggled.

"Just a bit," Jamie smiled.

"Nash made me do it!"

"Oh, did he now?" Nash grinned mischievously, putting me back on the ground.

"I know what you're thinking, Overstreet, and you better not do it," I said, wide-eyed and moving away from him. Suddenly, he tackled me and we landed on the living room floor. He sat on my legs and started tickling me. "Na-Nash! Sto-Stop!" I screamed in between laughs.

"Then admit that I'm the most amazing person in the history of ever and you can't live without me," he said.

"I've lived without you for 17 years and I think Jamiebear's taken the position of most amazing person in the history of ever already anyway," I smiled sweetly.

He looked back at Jamie and Jamie threw his hands up, "I had no idea! Leave me out of this!"

Nash looked back at me, "If you love me, you'll say it."

"Is this one of those 'If you love me, you'll have sex with me' kinda things?" I asked.

He thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."

"Well, in that case, I don't love you that much," I smirked. He gave me the most hurt expression he could without smiling and I giggled, "I never said I didn't love you." I reached up and pulled his face down to mine and kissed him.

Everyone else groaned and Ryan said, "We'll be not in here if you need us."

"Don't forget to tell Nash that thing you were supposed to tell him," Ian added as they walked out of the room.

"Oh, right!" I exclaimed.

"What thing?" Nash asked.

"Thank you," I smiled, "For my guitar."

He chuckled, "You're welcome."

"How did you know?" He moved off of me and helped me sit upright, leaning against the couch.

"Well, you always mention how you hate having to borrow MacKenzie and Ryan's guitars and I know your favorite color is purple... I just figured it would be the perfect gift for you," he shrugged.

"Second perfect, actually."

"What's the first perfect gift?"

"You," I whispered. He looked at me and smiled, leaning over slightly to kiss me. After he pulled away, I laid my head on his shoulder and he grabbed my hands, tangling our fingers together.

"I'm honestly surprised you had Jenna in the exact spot you kissed me after you and Demi sang Why Don't You Love Me," I commented, giggling lightly.

"Well, yeah," he laughed, "That was the spot you agreed to be my girlfriend. Why wouldn't I remember?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I don't even remember what I was wearing that day."

"Your blue lace dress with the white belt and light brown shoes, everything else you had on was either silver or purple, and your hair was down so it was easier to run my fingers through," Nash said instantly. I looked at him in slight shock, and he laughed, "And no, Jamie did not tell me that. I told you, I love you." I smiled as he kissed my forehead.

"One more question," I said.

"Go," he replied.

"How was the treehouse the place you realized you were in love with me?"

He sighed, "The other day, when you and MacKenzie went out there to talk, I may have followed you and listened to your conversation..."

"Why?"

"I figured you were going to talk about me and if you were gonna say how much you hated me, I wanted to know why," he said shyly, "That's what I expected to hear, at least, but when MacKenzie said he thought you were in love with me and the way you reacted, I guess that's when I realized I was in love with you." I was about to say something when the front door opened and we looked over to see Keith, Adrienne, and Anna walk in with grocery bags. Anna simply looked at us and smiled, walking into the kitchen.

"So how is everything?" Adrienne asked with a smile, obviously already knowing the answer.

"A lot better," I grinned. Nash looked over at me and kissed my forehead.

Keith chuckled, "I don't think I've seen you this happy in weeks."

"Well, you'll never have to see that Danielle again," Nash said, squeezing my hand.

"Good," Adrienne smiled as her and Keith followed Anna into the kitchen.

I spoke quietly when they left the room, "You wanna know when I knew I was in love with you?"

"When?" he asked, looking at me.

"When you broke up with me," I answered, refusing to make eye contact, "I always cried when guys broke up with me, but it never hurt as bad until it happened with you. I guess that's when I knew, but I didn't want to admit it to anyone because when I admit it, it never ends well since I always fuck up somehow. When MacKenzie said that, I realized I didn't hide it as well as I thought I did."

I wasn't looking at Nash, but I could tell he was looking at me. Then, after what seemed like forever, I felt his hand on my cheek, turning my head so we were face to face and kissing me like it was the last time we would ever see each other.

"You are not going to fuck this up," he said as soon as his lips were off of mine.

"You don't know that," I choked, shaking my head, "I always do. It happens every time."

"Danielle, it is not your fault those guys left you after getting signed. It's theirs. Most guys don't realize a good girl when they've got her. When they lose her, it's another guy's job to make that girl feel like she's the most beautiful girl in the world, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do with you," he said, never taking his eyes off of mine. I stared into his eyes for a few more seconds before leaning forward again to kiss him.

I barely heard the front door open, but I jumped back when I heard, "Danielle?"

I looked at Nash, then at the people standing at the door with wide eyes, "Mom... Dad..."

~

Title: "Give Your Heart a Break" by Demi Lovato


	21. Does This Deafening Silence Mean Nothing to No One but Me?

-Nash-

Danielle looked at me wide-eyed before looking toward the door, which immediately sent me into panic mode. She doesn't look at anyone that way unless she's scared out of her mind.

"Mom... Dad..." she stuttered.

As soon as the words left her mouth, everything that could possibly go wrong ran though my head. I mean, her parents – the people who told her she couldn't date anyone until she graduated college – had just seen us kiss and I knew things were about to end badly. They could make her move back with them to Indiana – which isn't as far from Nashville as it could be, but it was no where near me. They could make her and I stop dating. They could ban her from ever even looking at me again. They could-

Stop, I told myself, You're overreacting. Nothing is going to happen.

I took a deep breath and came back to the conversation – well, it was more of an argument – between Danielle and her parents as everyone else was nearly pushing each other to get into the room.

"What's going on here?" her mom asked, just about as shocked as everyone else was.

"It's not what it looks like!" Danielle rushed.

"Really? Because it kinda looked like you were kissing him," her dad commented.

She looked at them and mumbled, "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like..."

Her mother was about to say something else when Keith stepped in, "Food's ready!"

Danielle immediately jumped up, rushing past her parents and into the dining room, sitting down. I stood up and took the seat on her left while Jamie had the one on her right. Unfortunately, her parents sat directly across from us. They stared at Danielle and I for what seemed like ages, causing her to start playing with her ring under the table. I reached for her hand, holding it firmly in my own. She looked at me and I gave her a small smile. She took a breath, calming herself down. I went to let go of her hand, but as soon as my grip loosened, hers tightened. I smiled again, but not enough for anyone to really catch it, and we just continued holding hands under the table.

"So... How about that weather?" Ian said, trying to lighten the mood.

"What do you do exactly?" Danielle's father asked me, not paying any attention to anyone in the room but his daughter and I. I looked at Danielle and she gave me a small shrug without looking over at me.

"I, um, I'm in a band," I answered slowly.

"What band?"

"Our band," Ryan said carefully. Her parents looked at Ryan and Jamie like they were disappointed in them or something as Ryan and Jamie just sank down in their chairs.

"How long have you been dating?" Danielle's father asked her. She took a small breath, becoming a bit more confident.

"About five months," she answered. I looked at her, but she didn't look back – she simply squeezed my hand.

"Five months?!" they yelled, making everyone jump a bit.

"Why didn't you tell us at Thanksgiving?" her mother asked in a slightly angered tone.

Danielle looked at her with a mixture of shock and anger on her face before shouting, "Because I knew you would react like this!" I gripped her hand tightly and she sighed loudly, leaning back in her chair.

"Maybe you should move back home with us," her father said bluntly. Danielle, as well as the rest of us, looked at him in complete shock.

"If you want to talk about this in private, that's fine – but we are not going to talk about it in front of everyone else," she answered as calmly as she could, but I could tell she was fighting back tears. She looked at everyone and let go of my hand. "Excuse me," she said quietly, getting up and running up the stairs. We heard her bedroom door slam shut a couple seconds later.

"I'll be right back," Jamie said, standing up before I could do anything and running up the stairs after Danielle.

"Honestly, Elizabeth," Keith said.

"I didn't like it when you called me that as a kid, I don't like it now, Keith," she said, rolling her eyes.

He sighed, "Danielle is 17-years-old, Liz. You and Jason need to give her more control of her life. You're not going to be around forever and the second you're gone, she's not going to know what to do on her own."

"I don't need a lecture from my brother on Christmas," Liz said.

"You clearly do. All a kid ever wants out of their mom and dad is for them to be proud, but still be able to do what they love."

"She loves math though," Jason said.

"Have you ever asked if she wanted a career in it?" Adrienne jumped in. Liz and Jason looked at each other, but never answered.

"Exactly," Keith said, "Being a parent isn't about keeping your kids away from everything that could hurt them, it's about making sure they know what to do if they're ever put in that situation."

"We know you mean well for her," Adrienne added, "But you just have to let her do her own thing and I guarantee she'll be much happier."

Seconds later, we heard a door open and Jamie came down the stairs with Danielle on his back. She slid off and Jamie motioned toward everyone to her.

She sighed, "I'm sorry I yelled even though I did absolutely nothing wrong." Jamie elbowed her side and she glared at him. He raised his eyebrows at her and she sighed again, mumbling, "And I'm sorry I went back on my word and started dating Nash without telling you about him."

"No," Liz said, "We're sorry."

A look of shock began to show on Danielle's face as she said, "...What?"

Jason and Liz stood up and he chuckled lightly, looking back at everyone at the table, "Excuse us for a moment."

I know it's bad to eavesdrop, but we couldn't help it. All they did was go to the living room, which was still within hearing range of the kitchen.

"We said we're sorry," Jason said.

"Why?" Danielle asked, obviously still confused.

"We've been pretty strict with you your whole life. We didn't realize it was just pushing you away from us."

"We want you to be happy, and if that means changing your major in college and being with Nash, then we're okay with it," Liz smiled.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Really," Jason chuckled.

Danielle screamed lightly and we all rushed in as she hugged them. She turned around and saw us now standing in the same room, running over to me and jumping up, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

I wrapped my arms around her waist to hold her up and laughed, "What's this about?"

"Shut up," she giggled, "I know you guys were listening."

I hugged her as close to me as I could and buried my face in her neck, mumbling against her skin, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered back.

"Not to break up this little love fest or anything," Jenna said.

"But we're hungry," Katia finished.

"Way to kill a moment, guys," Danielle laughed, putting her feet back on the ground. She trotted back over to the table and we all followed, finally enjoying our Christmas dinner without the drama from before.

~

Title: "You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet On the Ground, I'll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds" by Mayday Parade


	22. What If I Fall, Will You Fall Too?

-Nash-

After we had all finished eating, we decided to go outside in the snow while Keith, Adrienne, Jason, and Liz stayed in.

"Oh! We forgot to tell you guys something!" Ian said suddenly.

"What?" Katia asked.

"We have some pretty awesome news," Jamie smiled.

"What is it?" Jenna asked.

"You're gonna love it," I chuckled.

"Tell us!" Danielle whined, sticking out her bottom lip.

"Oh, no, it's the look," Ryan laughed.

"What look?" she asked.

"That look you give Nash or Jamie when you want something because you know they can't say no to it," Ian shook his head, laughing as well.

"It works, doesn't it?" she smirked, "Now tell us!"

"Alright, alright," Ryan smiled widely, "Do you remember the song we wrote a couple months ago?"

"Tonight Tonight? Of course," Katia said.

"Well, what if we were to tell you that it will be released in two months?" Ian asked excitedly.

"I would say prepare yourselves, because you're gonna get a lot more fans..." Danielle said slowly.

"Well," Jamie said, "That's what going to happen then!"

"Wait, it's seriously being released in two months?!" Katia yelled.

"Yup! February 8th!" I said happily.

"Guys, that's awesome!" Jenna screamed, hugging Ryan tightly. Katia hugged Jamie and Danielle hugged me. We looked at Ian and he was frowning.

"What's wrong, Keaggy?" Danielle giggled.

"Well, I don't have a girlfriend to hug me about this," he pouted. Danielle, Katia, and Jenna looked at each other before trotting over to Ian and squishing him in a group hug. He laughed loudly and look at Ryan, Jamie, and I, "I just got hugged by three girls and you guys only got hugged by one!"

I pulled Danielle back over to be and wrapped my arms around her waist, "One is all I'll ever need."

"Suck up," Ryan coughed.

"It's working, isn't it?" Danielle giggled, kissing my cheek.

Ryan looked at Jenna and she laughed, "Not a chance, Follese."

"Alright," he smirked, "I'll just have to get you when you're not expecting it."

~

-Caity-

"Hey, guys!" I smiled as Maren, MacKenzie, his girlfriend, and I walked up to everyone in the Follese's front yard.

"Hey! You came!" Danielle squealed happily, giving us all a hug.

"Well, yeah," MacKenzie laughed, "You invited us."

"I know, but I thought you'd be spending the day with your own families or something," she shrugged. "Anyway, who's this?" she smiled, looking at MacKenzie's girlfriend.

MacKenzie smiled as well, "This is my girlfriend, Lexi."

"How long have you been dating?" Katia asked.

"A few weeks," he answered.

"And when were you planning on telling me you had a girlfriend?" Danielle asked trying to sound angry, but failing as she cracked a smile.

"Hey, Danielle! I have a girlfriend!"

"Gee, thanks, best friend," she said sarcastically. We grinned as MacKenzie and Danielle started acting dramatically like a bad soap opera.

"You need to get over me, Danielle! I've moved on!" MacKenzie said.

"I can't live without your love, MacKenzie!" she yelled, trying her best not to laugh.

"I'm sorry," he looked off into the distance, "This is just the way it has to be." He looked back at her and they couldn't contain themselves anymore as they both busted out into a fit of laughter.

Danielle looked at Lexi and smiled, "Welcome to our big, messed up family, Lexi."

"Thank you," she giggled lightly.

~

The guys went to talk about whatever and I suddenly had a plan. I picked up a small pile of snow and made a snowball before turning to the girls and telling them to be quiet. They all giggled lightly and nodded. I turned back around and threw the snowball straight at Ian and it hit him directly on the back of his head.

I quickly spun to face the girls again and he yelled, "Alright! Who did it?"

"Who did what?" Maren asked calmly.

He and the guys walked over to us and he stared every one of us down. It took everything in me to keep a straight face as he reached me.

"Tanner," he said.

"Keaggy," I copied. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Danielle had quickly bent down and made a small snowball behind her back, then passed it down the line to me.

I kept it hidden behind my back as Ian asked, "Did you hit me with that snowball?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. What does this tell you?" I quickly took the snowball out from behind me and threw it the short distance at his chest before I took off.

"I am going to get you for that, Tanner!" I heard Ian yell.

"Bring it on, Keaggy!" I yelled back, still running.

I found a large tree and hid behind it, catching my breath. I looked around the tree to my left to check to make sure he wasn't there and luckily, he wasn't. When I went to look to my right, he jumped in front of me, causing me to let out a short scream.

"Gotchya!" he smirked, resting his hands on both sides of the tree so I couldn't run away again.

"What are you going to do?" I laughed, "You can't hit me with a snowball because the second you go to pick up some snow, I'm just going to take off again."

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I didn't really plan this far ahead, but you're not getting out without giving me an answer."

"And what might the question be?" I asked.

"Did you hit me with the snowball?"

"I'm not saying I didn't."

He chuckled, "One more question."

"One more answer," I copied him again.

He moved closer to me and whispered, "Can I kiss you?" I felt my heart start beating faster, but felt a random rush of confidence at the same time.

I shrugged before quietly saying, "I don't know. What does this tell you?" I grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled him in, closing the gap between our faces and kissing him. He pulled back after what seemed like hours and I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks get warm.

He smiled at me, "Does this mean we can skip that awkward phase where I ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"You're not going to ask?" I gasped, trying to act offended.

He chuckled again, "Okay, okay. Caity, will you be my girlfriend?"

I sighed dramatically, "Oh, Ian! I thought you'd never ask! Of course I will!" He held out his hand and I took it and we started walking back to the front yard where the others were.

"So just to clarify," he said, "You were the one who hit me with the snowball, right?" I giggled and pushed his shoulder lightly, but never answered him.

~

Title: "What If" by Maggie Eckford


	23. It's Alright Alright, Tonight Tonight

-Ryan-

*Skipping to February*

"Guys!" I said excitedly, running up to Nash and Ian at the bar we were in, "I just got a text from the radio DJ! They're about to play Tonight Tonight!"

"Well, let's get to the car!" Ian shouted.

"I'll let Jamie know!" Nash said, taking his phone out as we ran out to my car. I turned on the radio and we waited for the song to play. Nash's phone vibrated and he read it outloud, "Thanks! Letting everyone else know right now!"

Ian took out his own phone, going to the camera, turning on video, and hitting record. We recorded ourselves listening to our song in my car, which may sound a bit weird, but we were really excited. After the song was over, I drove back to my house and we walked in the door, only to be greeted by screams and hugs.

"That was so sick!" Danielle squeaked excitedly as she hugged Nash, bouncing on her feet.

"Sick?" Ian laughed as he draped his arm across Caity's shoulder, "Really?"

"Well, I thought gnarly was a little too much," she winked at him, making him chuckle.

"Seriously! If this song doesn't go big, I'm gonna be calling some radio stations and asking why they aren't overplaying the crap out of it," Jenna said, looking up at me.

I laughed loudly, holding her tighter, "You do that, babe."

"I will," she proudly announced as I kissed her nose.

"What do you say we celebrate?" Ian suggested.

"How?" Katia asked from where she was sitting in Jamie's lap on the couch.

"I vote we take our beautiful girls out separately tomorrow night," Nash suggested, pulling Danielle closer to him.

"I'm all for it," Caity shrugged.

"And I'll just be at home, stuffing my face with ice cream and watching chick flicks," Maren sighed.

"You know, Cameron's single," Caity winked at her.

Maren started laughing nervously and shaking her head, "You think... I'd date Cameron? No! We're just friends!"

"Okay," Danielle smirked.

"Oh, Danielle's got something up her sleeve," Jamie chuckled.

"No, she doesn't," she said in third person, releasing her grip on Nash and strolling toward the stairs.

"Danielle! Where are you going?!" Maren yelled.

"Nowhere!" she sang. As soon as her foot hit the first step, she darted upstairs and we heard a door close loudly.

"Should I be scared?" Maren asked, looking over at us.

"Oh, yeah," I said slowly, laughing.

A few minutes later, Danielle came trotting back down the stairs, returning to Nash.

"What did you do?" Maren asked, jumping up off of her seat on the couch.

"Nothing," Danielle shrugged, "But be ready by 6 tomorrow."

"Why?"

"No reason, just look nice."

Maren glared at Danielle and Caity pulled her off of the couch, ushering her out the door, "Well, we should be getting home. Curfew!"

Danielle looked at the clock, then back to Caity, "It's only 7:30."

Caity froze for a moment before yelling, "You're only 7:30!" She hurried out of the house with Maren and closed the door quickly behind them.

~

-Danielle-

*The next day*

I was watching TV when I heard a knock on the door and yelled, "Ryan! Door!"

Ryan walked in from the kitchen and I felt him stare at me, "And why couldn't you get it?"

"Because I'm about to find out who killed this chick! Shush!"

He sighed loudly and opened the door, sounding surprised, "Cam? What are you doing here?"

"Cammy!" I screamed, jumping up and running over to the door, grabbing Cameron's hand and pulling him inside, "We'll be upstairs!"

"But what about your show?!" I heard Ryan shout.

"It was the soccer coach! I've seen that episode like, five times!" I yelled back, smirking lightly.

"Do I have to do this?" Cameron groaned as I shoved him into my bedroom.

"Yes," I stated.

"Why?"

"Because one, you already agreed to it and two, it's totally obvious you two like each other! I don't see why you're so nervous about this."

"Think about it like this," he said, sitting on my bed, "When you look at Nash, what do you feel?"

"Well, I get butterflies like it's nobody's business and something about his smile makes my heart beat faster," I shrugged, catching myself smiling just at the thought of him.

"That's exactly how I feel about Maren," Cameron sighed.

"That's so cute!" I giggled.

"Easy for you to say! You never really had that awkward stage with Nash. I can't even talk to Maren for more than two minutes without wanting to have a nervous breakdown because all I can think about is how beautiful she is. You don't understand because you didn't do that with Nash," he sighed again.

"Just because Nash and I never went through that awkward phase doesn't mean we don't have moments that happen during them. Between you and me, when I get really nervous around him for whatever reason, I start hiccuping," I giggled, sitting down beside him.

"Seriously?" Cameron started laughing as well.

"Yeah! I could be anything from something he says to how he sings for me when I'm sad to the way he looks at me. It doesn't matter what he does, he always gives me butterflies," I smiled, patting Cameron's leg, "Oh, and I swear if you tell Nash anything I just told you, I will end your life faster than it began."

He looked up at me, "He doesn't know?"

I laughed at his expression, "You've known him longer than I have. You should know he's not that observant." I decided to change the subject as I looked at Cameron, "You're wearing that?"

He looked down at his clothes, "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Cammy, I'm saying this because I love you: You look like a hobo."

"But this is my favorite shirt," he pouted.

"A favorite shirt you've worn a little too much," I replied.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, "I'm meeting her here in an hour."

I thought for a moment before yelling, "Ryan!"

Cameron covered his ears with his hands, "Gee, Danielle. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," I smiled sweetly.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked as he opened my door, walking into my room.

"Cammy needs to borrow a shirt," I told him.

"Why?"

"His date will be here in an hour and he looks like a hobo," I said as I pushed Ryan out of my room so he could go get one of his shirts.

When he came back, he laughed, "Why couldn't you go pick her up yourself, Montgomery?"

"Danielle made me come here," Cameron mumbled.

I shrugged, "First date pep talk. Plus, I had to tell you that if you hurt her, I'm not the only one you'll need to watch out for." My phone started ringing in my pocket, so I pulled it out an answered it, "How may I be of service?"

"Maren is literally freaking out," Caity sighed on the other end of the line.

I laughed lightly, "So is Cam."

He stuck his tongue out at me as Caity continued, "Can you at least tell me where they're going for their date? Because if she changes her outfit one more time, I might actually lose it."

"Dinner and walk through the park," I answered.

I heard her repeat what I said to whom I had a pretty good guess was Maren and then say, "Thank you. See you guys in an hour!"

"You're welcome," I smiled, "Bye!" I hung up and said, "See? She's freaking out just as much as you are!"

Cameron looked at me, "How do you know?"

"I'm a girl. We just know these things," I started walking back out of my room, pulling Ryan with me, and pointed at Cameron, "Get ready. Don't make me come back to get you." He rolled his eyes and I smiled, walking downstairs and back to my spot on the couch.

~

About an hour later, while Cameron, Ryan, Jamie, and I were in the living room watching TV, Cameron randomly said, "She's not gonna show! I knew it!"

"Cam, she's still got 10 minutes. Calm down," Jamie chuckled. As soon as the words left Jamie's mouth, there was a knock on the front door.

"I got it!" I screamed, running to the door.

"It's okay, we weren't jumping for it," Ryan laughed. I pulled open the door as quickly as I could.

"Oh, it's you," I said, moving to let Nash and Ian inside.

"Gee, I love you too, babe," he chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan asked as Nash, Ian, and I sat down.

"We just wanted to watch Cam have a nervous breakdown and it looks like I'm just in time," Ian smirked. I hit his arm, trying not to laugh. Cameron sighed and stood up, walking over to the door.

"Let's face it, guys," he said, opening the front door, "She's not-"

He froze and we heard Caity exhaustively sigh, "She's all yours, Cameron." Caity walked inside, pushing Cameron out the door and closing it.

"Can we make sure they stay together? Because I never want to do that again," she asked, looking at us. We looked at each other and started laughing.

"You ready?" Ian asked Caity.

"Yeah," Nash added, looking at me, "We should be going too." Caity and I looked at each other, making Ian and Nash laugh.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Ian chuckled.

"No!" Caity laughed nervously.

"We were just busy taking care of other people. We'll be back in a few," I said quickly, hopping off the couch and grabbing Caity's hand, running to my room.

I had her just borrow one of my shirts and we got ready, doing everything else we needed to get done, and were back downstairs in 11 minutes flat.

"That may very well be the fastest I've ever seen you get ready," Jamie laughed, looking at me.

"Ahahaha, fuck you," I replied, then looked at Nash, gesturing toward the door, "Can we?"

"We can," he chuckled, saying goodbye to the guys, walking behind me out the door.

-Cameron-

"So..." I said, leading Maren off of the porch, "I guess we're going to dinner and walking through the park."

"You make it seem like you didn't know," she laughed lightly.

"Well, Danielle only told me about it at the same time she told Caity, so, no, I didn't," I chuckled.

"Where are we going?" she asked as we got into my car.

I shrugged, "She didn't tell me, so I guess we're picking that ourselves. Where do you want to eat?"

"Can we go to McDonald's? I'm not really dressed for somewhere too fancy and I don't want you to spend too much on me," she giggled.

"You're lucky I didn't decide to go there for lunch today and aren't I supposed to spend a lot of money on you? I'm supposed to be trying to impress you," I winked, making her laugh. I don't know what it is about this girl, but she makes the butterflies in my stomach go absolutely crazy. I feel like my stomach is about to explode every time I look at her. I'm not in love with her, but I can see myself going in that direction.

-Maren-

We got to McDonald's, ordered our food, ate and talked, then went to the park. I shivered – being the idiot I am, I wore a dress in the middle of February – and he took off his coat and put it on my shoulders. I smiled at him and we talked about anything we could think of. It didn't matter whether we were joking around or talking about something serious. That's what I like about Cameron. He likes to joke around, but he can also hold a good conversation. We got back into his car after about an hour of being in the park.

"So did Danielle say you had to go back to her place or am I taking you back to yours?" Cameron chuckled.

"She didn't say anything, but we better go before she calls me and says I do," I giggled lightly. He drove me home and walked me to my front door.

"Don't tell Danielle I told you this," he started, "But I'm really glad she made us do this."

"Me too," I smiled, "If we tell her, she'll never let us live it down."

He laughed, "We can tell her after the second date. That is, if you want to go on a second date with me..."

I grinned, "Of course I do, Cam."

We looked at each other in silence for a moment before he looked down slightly and leaned in. He kissed me and when he pulled away, I bit my lip and tried not to smile, but I could tell it didn't work when I saw him smile back.

"Goodnight, Cameron," I said quietly, giving him a hug.

"Goodnight, Maren," he copied, hugging me back. We let go of each other and I waved goodbye as he hopped off of my porch and back to his car. I walked inside and leaned against my door like in all the movies and squealed quietly before trotting to my bedroom.

I was about 217% certain I was going to pass out throughout the whole night, but luckily, I didn't. Cameron makes me so nervous, but in the best way possible. It kind of surprises me, because people always expect you to fall for members of the band, but no. I'm falling for the band's guitar tech, and I didn't mind one bit.

~

Title: "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae


	24. I'm Hung Up, so Let's Get Down Tonight

-Ian-

"So what are we doing?" Caity asked as she skipped off of the Follese's porch. I chuckled, walking her over to my motorcycle.

She froze and I looked at her, "You okay?"

She laughed nervously, "Yeah, if you consider totally not up for this as being okay, I'm fantastic!"

"You're gonna be fine, I promise," I told her, looking into her eyes.

She paused for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Okay."

"Plus, I took a shower this morning, so I don't smell horrible," I grinned, making her laugh.

I drove out to the part of the lake where no one was and parked my bike and we climbed off. Caity ran over near the edge of the ice-covered water and laid down on the ground.

"What are you doing?" I laughed, walking over to her.

"Making snow angels," she smiled. She stretched her arms out to me and I grabbed her hand, pulling her back onto her feet. She turned around and looked at her snow angel, placing her hand over her heart and sighing, "Beautiful. Oh! Let's build a snowman now!"

"I think we should make a snow boyfriend and a snow girlfriend," I said randomly a couple minutes into building.

"Why?" she laughed.

I shrugged, "Because I'm cheesy."

~

We spent the next hour or so building and perfecting our snow boyfriend and snow girlfriend until we decided to head to Starbucks to warm ourselves up. We walked in and ordered our hot chocolate, quietly arguing over who would pay – and I'm very proud to say I won.

"You know," I said as Caity and I sat down at a table, "I don't really know all that much about you."

"We've been together for almost two months," she chuckled, "What could you possibly need to know that you don't already?"

I thought for a moment, "I don't know what you want to do with your life, so we can start with that."

She wrinkled her nose and shrugged, "Okay. Well, I've only recently wanted to be in a band, but my real dream is to be an artist."

"What kind of artist?"

"Anything, really, but I think it would be pretty cool to design musicians' album covers or something," she smiled.

I noticed the entire time she was talking, her eyes had this sort of shine to them that wasn't there when she was talking about anything else. I could tell by the way she talked about it that art was really the only thing she's every truly wanted to do.

And I knew exactly how to help her get to where she wanted to be.

~

-Jamie-

"You sure I'm not going to die?" Katia asked as she led me into her kitchen.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't care what anyone told you, I am not that bad of a cook!"

She smirked, "Whatever you say, but maybe I should stay with you for safety purposes."

"Oh, no. Not happening. I am going to cook you the best dinner you've ever had in your life and I'm going to do it while you're watching TV in the other room," I said, pushing her back lightly into her living room.

She raised her eyebrows at me, "Alright, but if I smell anything burning, I'm coming in."

"Fair enough," I said, "Now go." She shook her head, but I saw her smile before she turned and hopped onto the couch.

~

About one hour and a lot of hard work later, I walked into Katia's living room to see her eyes glued to the television screen. I chuckled to myself before walking over to her and holding out my hand.

"Your dinner awaits," I informed her.

She looked up at me and exclaimed, "Finally! I'm starving!" She put her hand in mine and I pulled her up, walking with her to the table where I had set up the food, a vase of flowers, and a candle. I glanced over at her and noticed she was smiling. "This is beautiful, Jamie," she whispered.

"Never as beautiful as you," I said quietly, kissing her cheek before pulling her chair out for her.

~

After dinner, we put on our coats and went out for a walk.

"So," Katia said as we reached the park near her house, sitting down at the first picnic table we found, "How did you manage to not burn my house to the ground?"

"Ha, ha, ha," I laughed sarcastically, "I told you. I am a great cook."

"Alright, you're a great cook. A very narcissistic cook, but still a great one," she smirked again. I looked at her and her eyes widened, "Don't even..."

"Too late!" I shouted, springing toward her and tickling her stomach.

"Jamie! Stop!" she screamed, laughing as she tried to get out of my grasp.

"You really think I'm gonna let you go that easily?" I teased.

"No," she giggled, "But I know what will."

"And what would that be?" She gave me puppy dog eyes and stuck out her bottom lip slightly, knowing I would cave. "One of these days, that won't work on me anymore," I chuckled, shaking my head as I let go of her.

"But not today," she smiled, kissing my nose.

She rested her arms on the table in front of us, laying her head down to catch her breath. I noticed a few red marks on her wrist where her coat had slid up her arm a bit. I reached over and touched her coat, and by the reaction I got, I could tell she didn't like it.

"Jamie!" she shrieked, jumping from her seat, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Why?" was all I could manage to get out of my mouth.

"Because," she answered, pulling her sleeves down as far as they would go.

"That's not a good enough reason and you know it," I said firmly, standing up, although I was shaking like crazy.

"It is for me," she said.

"But why?"

"I have my reasons. I'm done talking about this."

She started to walk away, but I grabbed her arm, turning her back around, "Well, I'm not."

She pulled her arm back, beginning to walk away again, "You can't make me do anything, Jamie." I grabbed her arm again, causing her to shout, "Jamie, let go!"

"I'm not just going to let someone I love do this to themselves!" I yelled back in response.

She froze, slowly turning around, "You... You love me...?"

I sighed, letting go of her, "I do, Kat. I love you so fucking much, it hurts. I don't want to have to imagine my life without you – I can't imagine my life without you. I don't know what I'll do with myself if you're ever taken away from me..." I felt my cheeks getting wet as Katia walked the three steps back toward me and brought her hands up to my face, wiping my tears with her thumbs.

She left her hands cupping my cheeks as she whispered, "I love you too, Jamie."

I looked into her eyes for a moment before leaning forwards. When my lips touched hers, it was like everything else in the world disappeared – like nothing mattered but me and her. When we pulled back, we couldn't keep the smiles on our faces from appearing.

"Promise me you'll never purposefully hurt yourself again," I said.

She bit her lip and replied quietly, "I promise," kissing me again.

~

Title: "Hung Up" by Hot Chelle Rae


	25. I'm Gonna Love You Like I've Never Been Broken

-Ryan-

"Ryan, you really don't have to take me out tonight," Jenna said as we walked away from her front door.

"I know," I told her, "But I want to! We're celebrating!"

"I know that, but I mean why not just stay in and watch a movie or something."

"Well, we already have reservations, so how about after dinner, we'll go back to my place and watch a movie?" I asked with a small grin, opening the car door for her.

She rolled her eyes, smiling, "Alright." She sat down and I closed her door, jogging around to the other side and getting in.

~

About 20 minutes later, we had arrived at the restaurant and Jenna looked at me, "Ry, this place looks really expensive."

I chuckled, getting out of the car and walking around to open her door for her, "It's not. Trust me."

She raised an eyebrow at me before standing up, "Fine."

I closed her door and stuck my elbow out, "Shall we?"

She giggled lightly, looping her arm with mine, "We shall." We walked inside and went up to the hostess.

"Hi, reservation for Ryan Follese," I smiled.

"Of course. Right this way," she smiled back, grabbing two menus from her podium and showed us to a table. I pulled Jenna's chair out for her and she looked down, probably attempting to keep me from seeing her blush. "Your waitress will be here in a few minutes to take your orders," the hostess smiled before going back to her podium at the front of the restaurant.

~

Five minutes later, our waitress walked over to us, immediately looking at me with what appeared to be some attempt at a flirty face.

"Hello, I'm Kate, I'll be your server this evening. What can I get you?" she asked, looking at me and smirking.

"I'll take a Coke," Jenna said quickly with a sarcastic smile, causing Kate to look over at her with narrowed eyes.

She wrote down Jenna's order and turned back to me, "And you?"

"Yeah," I told her slowly, "I'd like a Coke and for you to stop looking at my girlfriend like that." I smiled politely at her as she angrily wrote down my order and stomped away.

Jenna watched her walked off before turning back to me, "Girlfriend?"

I cleared my throat nervously, "Sorry, she was just being rude to you and I knew if she thought you were my girlfriend, she'd stop."

"Oh, quick thinking," she smiled slightly, looking down at her hands. I let out a quiet sigh and we went about our evening.

~

After dinner, I drove Jenna back to my house. We went inside, said a quick hello to my parents and Anna, and went downstairs.

"So what do you want to watch?" I asked her, walking over to the bookshelf where we kept our movies. I turned around just in time to see Jenna plop down on the couch in front of the TV, making me laugh.

"It doesn't matter to me as long as it's nothing scary," she shrugged.

"Alright, scariest movie it is," I winked at her.

"Ryan!" she giggled, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at me.

I caught it, laughing, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Here, come look through these movies while I go make some popcorn." She sat up, taking off her shoes and groaning quietly – probably hoping I wouldn't hear – and stood up, walking over to me. "Do you want some clothes to change into? I'm sure I have something you can borrow," I told her.

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Ryan." I quickly kissed her cheek, jogging up the stairs.

While our popcorn was in the microwave, I went up to my room, changing into a t-shirt and sweatpants before finding something Jenna could wear. As I was walking back downstairs, I heard the microwave go off, so I grabbed the bag, poured the popcorn into a bowl, and went back to the basement. I noticed Jenna sitting back on the couch staring intently at two movies in her hands.

"Having trouble?" I chuckled after watching her for a few seconds.

She looked up at me and sighed, "I can't decide between Tangled and Beauty and the Beast."

I shook my head, smiling, "Okay, so we'll just watch both." I set the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and took the movies out of her hand, replacing them with the clothes I brought her, "Go change. I'll put in one of the movies."

She stood up again and sighed dramatically, "You are so efficient."

"I know," I teased, pushing her lightly, "Now go."

She giggled quietly, walking into the guest room we had in the basement and coming back out a few minutes later.

She put her clothes on the couch before sitting down next to me, smiling, "Stop staring at me, Ryan."

I shook my head, "What? I wasn't, uh, I wasn't staring."

"You're a horrible liar," she laughed, laying her head on my shoulder. I took a deep, nervous breath, pressing play on the remote.

~

After Beauty and the Beast had ended, I got up and switched it out for Tangled. I turned back around and noticed Jenna was dozing off. I felt a smile start to form and butterflies take over my stomach as I retook my spot on the couch, knowing it was now or never.

"Jenna," I whispered, shaking her a bit.

She jumped slightly, "I wasn't sleeping, I swear!"

"Listen, Jenna... Earlier – when I said I only told that waitress that you were my girlfriend to get her to back off – I got to thinking..." I trailed off.

Jenna, now looking at me with her head tilted, slowly said, "Ryan... What are you trying to say?"

"I've never really been good at this," I chuckled nervously, "So I'm just going to say it. Jenna, I really like you and I was wondering if you'd be my girlfriend... Officially, I mean."

She bit her lip and smiled, "I would love to be your girlfriend, Ryan." I let out the breath I didn't even know I was holding in, happy she didn't laugh at me or reject me.

"Would it be too much to ask one more question?" I asked quietly.

"What is it?" she questioned.

"I should have done this after our first date, but better late than never, I guess," I took a breath before quietly asking, "Can I kiss you?" She looked at me for what seemed like forever before nodding slightly. I sighed, bringing my hand up to her cheek and leaning toward her until our lips met.

They say when you really like someone, you feel fireworks when you kiss them and this was definitely no exception. I'm not trying to make one of those annoying, totally predictable, cliched references, but that really was what it felt like. As if the butterflies weren't enough, I swear, I felt some sort of spark. I know that's also pretty cliche, but it's true. People always think it's easy getting girls when you're in a band, but to be honest, it's the complete opposite. I'm usually pretty shy around girls I like, but with Jenna, it just seems different and I'm going to do everything I can not to screw it up.

~

-Nash-

I pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley where Danielle and I had our first date, earning a small laugh from the girl sitting in the passenger seat, "I am way too overdressed for this." I smiled, parking my car and getting out, rushing over to the other side to open the door for her.

"But you still look beautiful," I told her as I closed the car door once she was out of the way and grabbed her hand, tangling our fingers together.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled, looking me up and down as we walked inside, "You don't clean up so bad yourself."

"Thank you! I spent a whole 10 minutes getting ready!" She giggled, pushing against me lightly. We got our shoes and bowling balls and walked over to our lane.

"So," Danielle said as she finished tying her shoelaces and grabbed her ball, "Shall we repeat the last time we were here or are you actually going to try this time?"

"Is it just me or is it getting a little cocky in here?" I chuckled, reminding myself of our first date. She held her finger up and went to bowl the first frame, bowling a strike.

She turned around, smirking as she walked back to me, "It's just you."

I tried holding back my smile, "I see how it is. I say we propose a bet."

"I might be interested in that – depending on what's at stake, of course."

"If I win, you have to kiss me. If you win, I have to kiss you."

"But either way, that involves me kissing you and I'm not sure whether or not I'm okay with that." I leaned down, quickly kissing her lips and pulling back. She shrugged, "I'm okay with that. You've got yourself a bet."

She stuck her hand out to me and I took it, shaking it, "You're going down, Myers."

"We'll just see about that, Overstreet," she said, pushing my shoulder back lightly so I would take my turn.

~

Ten frames later, I had rightfully claimed victory and turned around to see Danielle with her arms crossed over her chest, trying not to smile. I laughed at her horrible attempt at a straight face and we changed out of our shoes before taking them up to the counter and buying some – of course – nachos and Coke.

"How did you get so good all of a sudden?" I chuckled, taking a drink.

"Ryan," she grinned, "He's still not over the whole you distracting him at air hockey thing from forever ago, so he decided showing me up at bowling was the best way to prove he's better than me at something."

"That clearly went well. I only had you by two points."

"Yeah, we came back the other night and, needless to say, I absolutely crushed him," she smiled proudly.

I laughed loudly, "So that's why he kept glaring at you yesterday!"

"Guilty," she giggled.

~

A few minutes later, Danielle froze in the middle of her sentence and groaned quietly, hiding her face in her hand, "Oh my god... Not now..."

"Not now what?" I asked, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand, pulling it away from her face.

She looked down in an attempt to cover her face with her hair instead and that's when I heard girl say, "Danielle!" I looked over and saw two girls and a guy standing beside us as I slipped my hand under the table to hold hers tightly.

Danielle's head shot up and she had an obvious fake smile plastered on her face, "Natalie! What, uh, what are you doing here?"

"It's a bowling alley, silly! We came here to bowl!" Natalie laughed.

"Of course you did," Danielle mumbled.

"We saw you were here with your boyfriend and we wanted to meet the guy you talk about so much!"

"Uh, okay," she said reluctantly, looking at me, "This is Nash. Nash, this is Natalie, Noah, and Avery. I go to school with them."

"Nice to meet you," I said, giving them a small smile.

"I think it's in your best interest to break up with her," Natalie said bluntly, causing Danielle to let out a loud laugh.

"I'm sorry, why would I do that?" I asked her, slightly shocked.

"I really didn't want to bring this up in front of him," she said, nodding toward me while looking at Danielle, "But since you haven't told him, I guess someone should. I heard about your little run-in with my boyfriend the other day."

"You've got to be kidding me," Danielle muttered under her breath before speaking at a normal volume, "That was almost two months ago and nothing even happened."

"Oh, so you didn't tell Nash," Avery said.

Danielle rolled her eyes, "I don't see why it would have mattered considering we weren't even together at the time and nothing even happened."

"But you weren't going to tell him?" Natalie gasped slightly, "That doesn't seem like something a very loyal girlfriend would do."

"You want me to tell him? Fine, I'll tell him," she turned toward me, "Nash, two weeks before we got back together, Noah over here decided it would be a great idea to try to make a move on me in the middle of the damn hallway!" She looked back at Natalie and Avery angrily, "Happy now?" 

I squeezed her hand under the table, making her look back over me. I gave her a small smile, assuring her I didn't believe anything they were saying. She sighed, relaxing a bit. Natalie, Avery, and Noah looked at me for what I'm guessing was some sort of reaction.

"Well, this is new," I said, "I've never had someone make up shit about my girlfriend before."

"We're not making it up. It's true," Noah finally spoke, "That MacKenzie kid came up and wrapped his arm around her waist and everything!" I shot Danielle a questioning glance and she angrily stood up.

"I can't believe you're actually buying this bullshit!" she shouted before storming out of the building.

"Now I can see why she doesn't like any of you," I said in an aggravated tone, running outside.

As soon as I stepped out the door, I saw Danielle sitting on the parking block next to my car, staring up at the sky. I watched her for a moment as she was absentmindedly smiling at the stars before walking over and sitting down next to her.

"Babe," I said quietly, "I'm sorry."

She sighed, looking at me before laying her head on my shoulder, whispering, "Don't say that. I should've known you didn't believe them."

I grabbed her hands, tangling our fingers together and kissing the top of her head, "I shouldn't have given you reason to think I did. I think we're both to blame here."

After a couple minutes of sitting in silence, I let go of Danielle's hands and reached into my pocket, pulling out a necklace.

"Look, Danielle," I said as she lifted her head off of my shoulder to look at me, "I know we haven't been together that long, but I can already tell you're different than anyone I've ever been with. I know this is really cheesy, but my mom told me to give this to the girl I fell in love with, and that girl is you." I reached behind her to put the necklace around her neck and secured it. She looked down, holding it in her hands for a moment while smiling, then back up at me with tears in her eyes before leaning forward and kissing me. "What was that for?" I asked when she pulled back.

"For not being like every other guy I've dated," she said, barely above a whisper before kissing me again.

"And that one?" I chuckled.

"You won the bet, didn't you?" she grinned.

"I did, didn't I?" I laughed. She giggled and nodded, yawning slightly.

I smiled, standing up and holding my hand back down to her, "Come on. Let's get you home."

She took my hand and as I pulled her up, sleepily said, "I don't wanna go home."

"Well, where do you want to go?"

"I wanna stay with you," she mumbled, leaning against me while I opened the passenger door of my car for her. She sat down and I closed the door, laughing at the fact that she was already falling asleep. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Jamie, getting into the drivers seat.

"What's up, Nash?" he said after the third ring.

"Hey, Jamie," I said quietly, "I just wanted to let you guys know Danielle's spending the night with me again."

"You guys do this all the time though," he chuckled, "Why are you calling me?"

"I know she always calls you so you don't worry about why she didn't come home," I smiled.

"Why didn't she call me then?"

"She already fell asleep," I said, laughing quietly as I looked over at her.

"Why did I even ask?" he chuckled again.

"You had a moment, Jamie. We all have them," I teased.

"Yeah," he laughed, "Well, thanks for letting me know. Don't wake her up too early. We don't want you getting hurt."

"I know, I know," I laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" he said cheerfully before hanging up.

I drove back to my apartment building and parked my car in my usual parking spot before getting out and walking over to the passenger side door. I opened the door and reached around Danielle, unbuckling her seat belt and picking her up, grabbing the purse she had brought with her, and lightly kicking the door closed.

When I got up to my apartment, I unlocked the door and pushed it closed as slowly as I could with my hip. Against my best efforts, the door closed louder than I wanted it to and was enough to wake Danielle up.

"Nash," she mumbled sleepily into my shoulder.

"Yes, Danielle?" I whispered.

"Can I borrow some clothes?"

I chuckled quietly, "Of course you can."

I walked into my bedroom and set her down on the bed, going over to my dresser and pulling out the t-shirt and shorts I always give her when she stays over. I turned around just in time to see her yawn and rub her eyes, which was always one of the cutest things she does.

"Thank you," she muttered, standing up and walking into the bathroom to change.

I changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, then laid down, waiting for Danielle. When she came back into the room, she tossed her clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed and climbed under the blanket. I wrapped my arms around her and she laid her head on my chest, cuddling as close to me as she could get.

"I love you, Nash," I heard her whisper just before she fell asleep again.

I smiled, "I love you too, Danielle," quietly singing to her until I drifted off to sleep as well.

~

Title: "Unbroken" by Demi Lovato


	26. Three Whole Words and Eight Letters Late

-Caity-

"I just solved all of our problems!" I exclaimed, walking into the room where the rest of the girls were.

"We had a problem?" Danielle asked, looking up from her laptop.

"Yes, and the solution involves us moving to California!" I told everyone.

"Why California?" Maren questioned.

"We all know how much the guys miss it. Plus, we all know how to play instruments and sing and we want to work in the music industry. Why not start out as a cover band?" I responded.

"We can all start over at a new school, Danielle," Jenna said.

"I'm gonna be a senior. The only starting over I'll be doing is looking for a different college," Danielle said.

"Come on, Danielle! It's a great idea!" Katia smiled.

"I'm sure the guys would be in. Not to mention I already found somewhere we can live," I said.

Danielle shrugged, "If you guys can convince my mom and dad, I guess I'm in."

"Awesome! All we need to do now is sell the idea to the guys," I finished.

"Please," Katia giggled, "One pout from each of us and they'll be totally up for it."

"Perfect," Maren smirked.

~

"Guys," I said as the guys walked through the front door after band rehearsal a couple hours later, "We need to talk."

"None of you are pregnant, right?" Nash asked cautiously.

"Damn it, Nash!" Danielle shouted, "I was gonna tell you that in private!"

"You could have just not said anything!" he said, sticking his tongue out at her, making her smile.

"So, if none of you are pregnant, what is this about exactly?" Ryan asked as they sat down.

"We have a proposition for you all," I told them.

"And what might that be, Tanner?" Ian questioned.

"Well," Maren started, "We know how much you guys miss California."

"And how much Nash misses Chord," Danielle chimed in.

"So we thought maybe we could move to LA," Katia finished.

The guys looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at us and saying in unison, "We're in."

"Well, that was easier than we thought it was gonna be," Jenna said, surprised.

"Wait," Nash said, "What about-"

"Already on it!" Danielle said, reading his mind, repositioning her laptop on the coffee table and sitting down on the couch next to him. She logged onto Skype and sent a video request to her parents. When they answered, she waved, "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

"Hey, sweetie!" her mom smiled, "How's your summer break so far?"

"Pretty good," she shrugged, "We have something we want to run by you."

"You're not pregnant, are you?" her dad asked.

"Why does everyone think I'm pregnant?!" she shouted, throwing herself backward until she hit the couch. I giggled, turning the laptop slightly so they could see me.

"Hi, Caity," her mom smiled, "She's gonna be okay, isn't she?"

"Oh, she'll be fine. We all respect her decision to bear a child," I laughed as Danielle groaned, "Anyway, we all know you've recently been very supportive of Danielle changing her college major and all that, but we've got a pretty huge thing to ask, so it's cool if you need time to think about it."

"What's this pretty huge thing you have to ask?" her dad asked.

Jamie scooted into frame, "The girls ran this idea by us that we could move to California because they could tell we miss it there and we'd be closer to Nash's brother and-"

Her dad cut him off, "When do you leave?"

"What?!" Danielle shouted, jumping on top of Jamie, "What was that?"

"We want to come see you before you leave," her mom laughed.

"We leave next week," I smiled.

"Okay, we'll see you guys in a few days," her dad told us before they said goodbye and ended the call.

"I feel uncomfortable," Danielle muttered, making the rest of us laugh.

~

One week later, we were in LA. Our apartment building was really nice, and the fact that we all managed to get apartments right next to each other made it that much better. Everybody was happy to be in California; especially Nash since he was now closer to Chord.

-Nash-

We had decided that, since we already had beds in our rooms and it was nearing two in the morning when we arrived, we would just go to bed and move everything in that afternoon.

~

When we all woke up, everyone joined Danielle and I in our apartment for breakfast. Afterwards, we got dressed and met in the hallway and, of course, we were still waiting on Danielle.

Danielle suddenly jumped into the hallway exclaiming, "Let's move in some furniture!"

"You've been watching too much Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Ryan teased.

"Why, yes. Yes, I have," she winked at him.

As she walked over to me, I looked at her feet and raised my eyebrows, looking back up at her, "Are you wearing my shoes?" Everyone laughed quietly and 'ooh'd before going out to start moving our things in.

"Yes," she shrugged, walking by me.

I grabbed her waist and pulled her as close to me as I could, lowly growling in her ear, "Did I say you could wear my shoes?"

She giggled, obviously knowing I wasn't actually mad, "Nope."

"Then why are you wearing them?"

She wiggled out of my arms and turned to face me, "Because I make them look sexier than you do."

"Oh, do you now?" I asked, a grin slowly pulling at the corners of my mouth.

She nodded quickly, letting out a short scream and darting out of the building as I ran after her. I caught her just before she reached the passenger door of my car, picking her up from behind and spinning her around. Once her feet were back on the ground, she turned to face me again, leaning back against the car.

"Oh, I do," she smiled as I leaned down to kiss her.

~

"Why do these things have to be so heavy?" I groaned as Ian and I were carrying a chair to my apartment.

"We're almost there, Overstreet. Quit your whining," Ian said.

"We could've got professional movers, you know," Caity sighed.

"No, we've got it," I told them. We finally got the chair into the living room as Jamie and Katia were moving the coffee table out of our way.

"This is a piece of cake, guys. I don't know what all the fuss is about," Ryan said as he stopped at the door, holding a box.

"Yeah, that's because you picked the easiest thing to carry," Jenna giggled.

"I did not!" Ryan protested.

"What's in the box then, Ryan?" Katia smirked.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

"Please, we all know your suspenders and bowties are in there," Cameron laughed.

"This is fragile stuff I'm holding, Cameron!"

"They're accessories, Ryan," Maren smiled.

"Whatever," Ryan pouted, beginning to walk to his apartment.

Danielle poked her head out from the moving truck and jokingly sang, "Hey, hey, life ain't fair, three in the air if you just don't care!" Ryan flipped her off without looking back and she called after him, "That was only one in the air, Follese!" We heard him laugh just before the door closed.

"Okay, so what's next?" Ian asked, looking into the truck.

"The bookcase needs to be moved into Ryan and Jenna's apartment," Danielle replied.

"We'll get it, I guess," I groaned again.

"Thank you," she smiled, quickly kissing my cheek.

"Now that's some good motivation," I grinned as Ian and I started moving the bookcase, passing Ryan and Jamie in the hallway. "Ryan, you and Jamie can carry this chair," I told him.

"But I'll hurt my back!" he whined.

"What about your brother's back?" Ian chuckled.

"Yeah, Ryan! What about my back?" Jamie asked.

"Uh..." Ryan trailed off.

"Cameron and I can handle it," Jenna said as she walked by.

"You can carry this box of DVDs since they go to your place, Ryan," Danielle said as Cameron and Jenna were moving the chair through the door.

"But-"

"No buts, just carrying," she laughed, handing him the box.

"Hey!" I called out, "Can someone get this end table?"

"On it!" Maren squeaked.

"Why does she get the easiest thing to carry?" Ryan whined again coming back through the hallway.

"Because she doesn't complain when I ask her," I teased.

"Looks like we're done moving everything," Katia said happily, coming back into the building, "The only thing left is to take the truck back!"

"I can't believe we moved everything so fast," Maren sighed as we sat down on my living room floor to relax for a while.

"We should start a moving company or something," Katia giggled.

"No way!" Ryan exclaimed, "Moving stuff is way too hard!"

"It wasn't that hard," Caity said.

"Yes, it was!" he argued.

"Ryan, give it up," Jenna laughed, "You didn't do anything even remotely difficult." He sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this one. "There you go," Jenna smiled, kissing him.

"Any volunteers for who returns the truck to the rental place and who follows to bring them back?" I asked.

"I volunteer as tribute!" Danielle shouted, raising her hand.

"Actually, Ryan and I will go," Jamie said, "The girls should stay here and the rest of you guys can stay and help arrange everything." Danielle pouted and Jamie patted her head, "Next time." She rolled her eyes and pushed Jamie's hand off of her head before he and Ryan left.

~

The next day, everything was now arranged in our apartments the way we all liked it and everyone had converged into our apartment once again. We were all sitting around the coffee table, laughing and talking when Ian's phone began ringing. He excused himself to answer the call before coming back not even a minute later.

"It was Zach," he told us as he came back into the room, "We've gotta go to RCA."

"I thought you didn't have any meetings today," Katia pouted, looking at Jamie.

Jamie shook his head, giving Ian a confused expression, "We don't."

"I don't know," Ian shrugged, "All he said was that he needed us and Danielle right away."

Danielle looked up at him, slightly shocked, "Me?"

He nodded, "We should probably get going."

The guys and I stood up and started walking toward the door when I stopped, noticing Danielle wasn't following right away. I smiled, taking her hand and pulling her up off the couch.

"Why are you so nervous? Zach, Jason, and Dave all love you," I told her, walking outside.

"That doesn't make me any more willing to go," she mumbled, "I'm not in the band. I don't go to your meetings."

"What's the worse that could happen? It's not like he's going to send you back home," I said, trying to lighten her nerves. She simply sighed, climbing into the car and we drove to RCA in silence.

"Hey, guys," Zach smiled as we walked into his office (a/n: idk if he has an office, okay, so just roll with it), me pulling Danielle behind me. We all greeted him and sat down. "I'm going to get right to it and not keep you here longer than necessary since this is kind of sudden," he said, "I just found this out and I couldn't wait to tell you guys: We got the go ahead on the tour!"

"Seriously?!" Ryan nearly jumped out of his chair.

"Seriously," Zach smiled again, "You wanna know who you're going on tour with?"

"Uh, yeah!" the guys and I exclaimed.

"Can I get a drum roll?" he chuckled. Jamie and Danielle instantly looked at each other and started drumming on Zach's desk, making everyone laugh before Zach continued, "Taylor Swift!"

"No, they're not!" Danielle squeaked.

"Yes, they are!" he mocked her, looking back at us, "You guys open for her on her Australian and New Zealand dates in March!" We were all in obvious shock, but had the biggest smiled on our faces.

"Hold on, what does any of this have to do with me?" Danielle asked, confused.

"Jason, Dave, and I were talking," he replied, "And we know that while the other girls will probably go as well, we just wanted to make sure you were especially, but I wanted to tell you myself instead of having one of the guys tell you. We know you're going to be majoring in photography when you go to college and we thought this would be perfect on your application."

Her jaw instantly dropped, "You mean... I'm gonna photograph the tour...?"

"Yup!" Zach smiled.

"Is this what having a heart attack feels like?" Danielle squeaked, holding her hand over her heart.

Ian chuckled, "Someone might want to hold onto her. I think she's about to fall off of her chair."

"Alright," Zach said once our laughter died down and our shock wore off, "Ryan, Ian, Jamie, if you could excuse us, I need to have a moment alone with Nash and Danielle."

"What about?" I asked as the guys left the room.

"This isn't something Jason, Dave, and I want to do, but it needs to be done. There's no easy way to put it, so I'm just going to say it," he sighed, "You two need to break up."

"I'm sorry, what?" Danielle asked.

"It's nothing against you two!" Zach added quickly, "It's just that you're only 17."

"So?!" I shouted.

"Listen, guys, I didn't want to have to do this, but legally, I have to being that you're underage," he said, looking at Danielle.

"Who cares? We've been dating for almost a year!" I said, "Everyone knows she's 17!"

"I understand that, Nash, but apparently someone told the police and for whatever reason, they've got some concern with the age difference being almost 8 years. You two can still be together, you just can't act like a couple in public."

"Okay," Danielle nodded, interrupting me as I was about to speak.

"Okay? What do you mean okay?" I asked her.

"Thank you, Zach," she smiled, ignoring my question, standing up and pulling me out of the office.

"What do you mean okay?" I asked again as the door closed.

She stopped walking and spun around, "I love you, Nash, but I don't want to have to love you from prison. I'll be 18 in three weeks. We can wait to be all coupley in public."

I sighed, finally understanding what she was talking about, pulling her into a hug and kissing her forehead, "We should go home and tell everyone the news." She nodded again and we walked out of the building where the other guys were waiting by the car. They were obviously curious as to why Zach kept us, but we didn't want to tell them until we were all together back home.

~

Once we were all at home and had everyone gathered up in our apartment, Danielle had told them we had to break up.

"Why?!" they yelled in unison.

"It's just in public," she replied, much more calm than everyone else was, "I guess the police got involved or something and said they would have to intervene if we continued to date since I'm underage. It's fine though. My birthday is in three weeks and we just can't act like a couple anywhere but here."

"That's lame," Jenna mumbled.

Danielle smiled, "Well, it's gonna continue to be lame for the next three weeks unless any of you have mastered time travel."

"Not yet, but I'm currently trying," Caity teased.

"Okay, so if that was all Zach wanted to talk about, why did he need the whole band there?" Cameron asked.

"That wasn't the original point of going," Ian grinned.

"Then what was?" Maren questioned.

Ryan, Ian, Jamie, Danielle, and I looked at each other before shouting together, "We're going on tour with Taylor Swift!"

"We?!" they yelled.

"We!" Danielle giggled just before everyone attacked us in a group hug.

~

-Danielle-

About a week later, the girls and I went to get a restock on food while the guys went out to hang out with friends that they hadn't seen since the last time they were in LA and Nash really wanted to see Chord. I had finished my shopping and decided to head home early because I was getting pretty tired. When I got home, I lightly kicked the door shut behind me and walked into the kitchen, beginning to put the groceries away.

I heard something down the hallway, so I called out, "Everything okay, babe?!" I heard whispering next and then a girl appear from the hall. I looked at her in shock, "Natalie?"

"Danielle," she said smugly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came back with him," she said as if were the most normal thing in the world, nodding behind her. I looked at who she was nodding at and saw Nash lightly stumbling down the hallway and stopping behind her.

I looked at him and instinctively started laughing, "No, you didn't."

"Didn't what?" Natalie asked innocently.

"You are such a bitch," I laughed bitterly as I gave her a dirty look before glaring at Nash. It took everything I had in me to hold in my tears as I took off the necklace he gave me and grabbed my bag. "Have a nice life, asshole," I mumbled, shoving the necklace into his hand and walked toward the door, slamming it shut on my way out.

I kept knocking loudly on Jamie's door until he answered it, knowing the other girls probably wouldn't be back for a while. Jamie cheerfully opened the door, but his smile disappeared when he saw me.

"What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his apartment.

Ryan looked over at us from where he was sitting on the couch, jumping up and rushing over, "Danielle, why are you crying?" To be honest, I hadn't even realized I was crying until he pointed it out, but when he did, I just lost it.

Jamie wrapped his arms around me as I cried, "Please don't say 'I told you so'."

~

Title: "Fireworks" by You Me At Six

HUGE shout out to my friend Sarah for helping me write a good portion of this chapter (Caity's POV/moving to California)!


	27. Such a Pretty Little Thing, So Much Prettier Without Me

-Nash-

I woke up the next morning with a killer headache and rolled over onto my right side. I opened my eyes and jumped up when I realized Danielle wasn't laying down beside me like she always was, knowing something was off because she never woke up before I did. I looked around and realized the room looked emptier than usual. I rushed into the kitchen, only to find it was empty as well. I froze when I saw Jamie's laptop sitting open on the counter, which I thought was a little weird.

Why would Jamie's laptop be in my apartment?

I lifted the lid a bit more and scanned the screen. Why is Jamie buying a plane ticket here..? It wasn't until I read what city the plane ticket was for that I realized what was happening.

The plane leaves at... 10am. I looked at the clock and saw it was 9:30.

Shit.

Knowing the airport was a close to 25 minute drive, I ran to my bedroom and grabbed a pair of pants, a shirt, and the first pair of shoes I could find, rushing to put them on, then I got my keys and quickly left the apartment, praying I made it to the airport in time.

~

-Jamie-

I felt tears blur my vision as the lady over the speaker said, "Flight 351 to Indianapolis, now boarding."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ryan asked Danielle as we stood up.

"Well, I'm sure as hell not staying here," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Ry, but I can't stay. Not after last night." She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as he did with her.

"I understand," he said into her hair. They let go of each other and she looked at me.

"Jamiebear, please don't do this. Not now," she whined when she saw the look on my face. I laughed very lightly and wrapped my arms around her. She laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me as well. We stopped hugging and she looked at us both and sighed, "I really do appreciate you guys bringing me here on such short notice." We didn't know what to say, so we simply nodded and she continued, "And thanks for letting everyone else know, too. I know you don't want to do it, but I really don't think I could handle it..."

"Yeah, you can barely handle us," I said quietly, making her laugh.

"Last call for Flight 351 to Indianapolis," the lady over the speaker said. Danielle forced a smile and hugged Ryan and I one last time before picking up her carry-on bag and walking toward the gate.

Suddenly, we heard someone yell Danielle's name and spun around to see Nash running through the airport. He was about to run by us when Ryan grabbed him, holding him back.

He struggled to break free as he yelled, "Ryan! Let go!"

Ryan did nothing but keep a hold of Nash as we looked back just as Danielle try to slyly wipe a tear off of her cheek. She slowly walked backwards as she looked at Nash one last time before turning around and jogging down the hallway to the plane.

-Ryan-

I held Nash back until Danielle was out of sight before I let go.

He glared at me, "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"You know exactly what I did that for! She made sure you weren't here for a reason, Nash! She doesn't want to see you anymore!" I shouted.

"I didn't fucking do anything, Ryan!"

"That is complete bull-" I started yelling before Jamie stopped me.

"You don't remember what happened last night, do you?" he asked.

"If I did, do you really think I'd be standing here wondering why the hell my girlfriend is on a plane back home?" Nash asked angrily.

"You slept with a girl in your apartment last night, Nash, and it wasn't Danielle," Jamie told him.

Nash laughed loudly, "Very funny, Jamie. Seriously, what happened?" His laughter died down and a shocked expression replaced it when he saw the looks on our faces. "Oh my God," he said quietly, sitting down in a chair and putting his face in his hands, "Why did I do that to her? I... I promised her I would never do that to her..." Before Jamie or I could say anything, Nash stood up again and mumbled, "I'll be at home if you need me."

He walked away and Jamie looked at me sadly, "I guess we better go tell the others.." I gave him the best reassuring smile I could and threw my arm around his shoulder as we walked back to my car.

~

When we got back the apartment building, I went into Jamie's apartment and Jamie went to go get everyone else.

He came in with everyone a couple minutes later and Katia looked at him, "Jamie, what's going on? Where are Nash and Danielle?"

He sat with her on the couch, holding her hand and addressing everyone, "We have something to tell you guys that you may want to be sitting for." He gestured for them to sit down and they did.

Jenna walked over to sit beside me and said quietly, "Ry... You're scaring me... What's wrong?"

I reached for her hand and held it in mine as I glanced over at Jamie and took a breath, "Danielle got on a plane about half an hour ago."

"What do you mean?" Ian asked, confused.

"She went home," Jamie choked.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Maren whispered, "She went home?"

"But that doesn't explain where Nash is," Cameron commented.

"Nash is in his apartment," Jamie replied.

"Well, why isn't he here?" Ian asked.

"Because... He's the reason she left," I said.

"What did he do?" Katia asked.

I looked at Jamie again and he looked like he was about to break down, so I told them myself, "He had a few too many to drink last night and ended up taking some girl named Natalie back to his and Danielle's apartment. When Danielle got home from the store, she found out and broke up with him. Jamie and I took her to the airport this morning."

"You just let her leave?" Jenna asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't our choice whether she left or not," I said, "She loves every single one of you, but she couldn't bear to tell you this herself. It's hard enough for me to do this! Can you imagine what hell it would have been for her?"

"Wait, Natalie?" Caity asked quietly before staring at Maren, "It couldn't be..."

Maren immediately looked at Jamie and I, "Did Danielle say what Natalie's last name was?"

Jamie paused before answering, "I think she said it was... Parker?"

Jenna and Katia's heads shot up and all four girls whispered in unison, "Oh my God."

"What?" Cameron asked, confused.

"Natalie Parker is one of the popular girls at our school," Katia answered.

Maren continued, "The day we met all of you, Avery warned Danielle to stay away from MacKenzie, but Danielle just brushed it off and she must have told Natalie about it."

"So that's why she's here?" Ian asked, "To ruin Danielle's relationship?"

"And quite possibly the rest of ours," Caity said.

Just then, the door opened and we all watched Nash as he carefully walked into the room. I noticed Jenna glaring at him and in the split second it took her to jump up, I reached for her waist and pulled her back down.

As she tried to get out of my grasp, she screamed, "You asshole! What the fuck is wrong with you?! How could you do that to her?!"

Nash jumped slightly and looked at Jenna in shock before turning to me, "You told them?"

"Well, considering Danielle told me to, yeah. I told them," I said, slightly struggling to keep Jenna in my arms prevent her from strangling Nash.

"Well, I heard everyone talking and assumed you all were here, so I came over to tell you guys myself, but clearly, that's already been done for me," he said, walking into the apartment, but making sure he stayed away from Jenna.

I groaned, still holding Jenna back, "Babe, as much as I would love for you to hurt him, we need him for the band." She let out a low growl before sitting back down, but I knew better than to let go of her.

"Um, anyway," Nash said slowly, "It's pretty obvious to me than no amount of apologizing is going to make up for what I apparently did, but-"

Ian cut him off, obviously angry, "Whoa, hold up. What do you mean what you apparently did?"

Nash sighed, looking at everyone around the room giving him the same face Jenna and Ian were, "I don't remember anything that happened after Danielle left with the girls; I don't remember why I was at the bar, I don't remember how I came home in my own car, and I definitely don't remember taking a girl home. All I know is in that one second it took me to decide to do all of that, it took exactly that long to ruin everything I fought for to begin with," he choked, "And I would do anything to get her back..." After a few long seconds, Jenna went to stand up, but I kept my arms around her, holding her down.

She didn't look at me, she just lightly patted my hand and whispered, "Let go, Ry."

I shook my head, "Jenna, I know exactly what's going to ha-"

"Ryan, please," she whispered again. I looked at her eyes and noticed they were getting watery, so I slowly released my grip on her.

Jenna stood up and started walking toward Nash and I saw him stiffen right before she reached him. We expected her to hit him or yell at him some more, but all she did was wrap her arms tightly around his waist and lay her head on his chest. He looked down at her, then back at me.

I simply shrugged, "I guess she forgives you."

"No," Jenna said quietly, "I just don't hate him as much as I did when he walked in."

Nash smiled slightly and hugged her back, "I'll take it."

~

Title: "Jaws On the Floor" by You Me At Six


	28. Life Sucks Since You've Been Gone

-Nash-

After that day, I barely came out of my apartment. I kept calling and texting Danielle, but she would never answer. I did that every day for at least a month, but I knew how stubborn she was, so I just gave up. I basically gave up on everything. The only thing that ever made me happy anymore was playing shows and meeting fans, but even those weren't as fun for me as they used to be. That was when I got an idea. I jumped off of my bed and headed over to my desk, opening the notebook sitting on top of it as I sat down. I grabbed a pencil and began writing.

~

-Danielle-

*Four months later*

As I sat in my bedroom scrolling through my dashboard on Tumblr, I heard, "Maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year and I'm so sick of watching all the minutes pass as I go nowhere." I picked up my phone and hit the green button, not bothering to check and see who was calling.

Before I could say anything, the person on the other end started talking, "Danielle, I know you don't want to have anything to do with Nash, but you've got to trust me on this."

"Ryan, it's been four months. I told you, I'm done with him," I said, already over the conversation.

"Switch to FaceTime, he's about to go on," I heard Ian say.

"What's he-" was all I got out before I was cut off by Ryan ending the call. A few seconds later, I got a FaceTime request from him and answered almost immediately. "What is going on?" I asked as soon as I saw him, along with Jamie and Ian.

"Just watch," Jamie said. Ryan turned his phone around and I heard screaming, finally realizing they were at one if their shows as I watched Nash walk out on stage.

"So," Nash said to the crowd, "You all know that Danielle left the tour and moved back to Indiana a few months ago.. The thing is, I... I fucked up big time and I know she can't hear me right now, but I wrote this song for her. I know this doesn't necessarily mean that she'll come back to me, but if she hears it, I'm hoping she'll at least come back to California..." He looked down for a moment before he started playing his guitar, starting the song.

Well, the beach is empty  
And the skies are grey  
It's getting cold out on the pier

Ever since you left me  
There hasn't been a sunny day  
I gotta say, it's getting weird  
I'm tired of waiting, so

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

Come back to California  
Life sucks since you've been gone  
So, I'll pour you a mojito  
I'll play your favorite song

I'm just trying to say I miss you  
I miss you

The medical marijuana  
Sales are going through the roof  
But nothing gets me quite as high as you

You used to call me a hipster  
But now, I'm looking like a bum  
I haven't changed my shirt in months  
So tired of waiting

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

Come back to California  
Life sucks since you've been gone  
So, I'll pour you a mojito  
I'll play your favorite song

I'm just trying to say I miss you  
You got me singing like  
Oh, here we go

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

Come back to California  
Don't leave me all alone  
I'll call up Schwarzenegger  
Tell him you're coming home

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

Come back to California  
Life sucks since you've been gone  
So, I'll pour you a mojito  
I'll play your favorite song

I'm just trying to say I miss you  
And I'm just trying to say I miss you  
I miss you  
I miss you  
I miss you

Nash sniffled just before he moved away from his microphone to finish playing the song and I instantly felt like shit. I had no idea why I felt like shit though. I wasn't the one that got drunk and took some girl back to my apartment.

My thoughts were interrupted when I realized Ryan had stuffed his phone into his pocket, but didn't end the FaceTime call.

"You did great, Nash," I heard Jamie say.

"Thanks for letting me do that," Nash said quietly, "I know you guys hate me after what I did, but I really appreciate you letting me sing that song tonight."

"It's okay, we all make mistakes," Ryan told him.

"Yeah, and my mistake cost me the best thing that ever happened and I can't get her back," Nash mumbled before sighing, "If you don't mind, I just want to be alone." I heard him walking away and Ryan pulled his phone back out of his pocket soon after the steps faded.

"So?" Ryan asked.

I looked down and sat silent for a moment before looking back up at the guys, "When's your next show?"

"Thursday," Jamie replied, "Why?"

"Just wanted to know. I guess I only have two days to learn that song," I shrugged casually.

"What do you mean?" Ian asked, obviously confused.

I smiled, "I'm coming home."

"Really?" they asked in unison, wide-eyed.

I laughed at their expressions and nodded my head, "Really." They all started to smile as widely as they could and I added, "I'll text one of you guys what time I'll be arriving tomorrow, so have someone meet me at the airport. And Nash can't know about this, got it?" They nodded quickly and I smiled again, waving slightly, "Goodnight, boys," ending the call.

~

Title/song used: "Come Back to California" by Hot Chelle Rae


	29. I'm Just Trying to Say I Miss You

-Danielle-

I bought my plane ticket before searching for Nash's song on YouTube. I finally found a good version where the words could be understood and wrote them down, replaying the video over and over and reading along to make sure I had the notes and rhythm and such.

When I felt like I had it memorized, I walked out of my bedroom and into the kitchen where my mom and dad were.

"Can I, uh... Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" I asked, walking into the room.

"Sure, honey, what is it?" my mom asked.

"You know that 'Chase your dreams' and 'Follow your heart' stuff you've been telling me for the past year?" They simply nodded and I continued, very nervously might I add, "I've decided that that's what I'm going to do, so I'm moving back to California."

The shock was immediately apparent on their faces as my dad asked, "Why?"

"There are more opportunities for me in California than there are in Indiana. Plus, all my friends are there..." I trailed off.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Nash, would it?" my mom questioned.

"That might possibly be not entirely false..."

"What time does your flight leave?" she asked.

"Wait," I said, shocked, "You're okay with this?"

"Well, yeah," my dad chuckled, "We're not too happy with what he did, but it's very obvious you two are in love with each other. We realized that he just made a mistake, and I guess you finally have too."

"Besides," my mom added, laughing lightly, "You're 18 now. We couldn't stop you even if we wanted to."

I smiled, "Who are you and what have you done with my real parents?"

"We're your new, hipper parents," my dad said.

"Please never say that again," I laughed, hugging them.

"What time do you leave?" my mom asked again.

"Noon," I said.

She looked over at the clock, "It's 10pm now! Come on, I'll help you pack." We rushed to my room and packed everything. "I'll call the movers tomorrow and have them take the rest of your stuff to California for you," she said.

"Thanks for everything, Mom," I said quietly, hugging her.

"Now, get some sleep, young lady. I'm sure you have something planned and you're going to need your sleep!"

I laughed lightly, "Yes, ma'am."

~

*The next day*

As soon as I stepped off of the plane and entered the airport lobby in California, I heard screams. I looked up just in time to prepare myself to be attacked by Jenna, Katia, Caity, and Maren.

"I missed you so, so, so, so, so much! Never leave me ever again!" Jenna squealed, hugging me tightly.

"Jenna," I choked, "Air."

She quickly let go, "My bad..."

"I'm assuming the guys caught you up on everything happening within the next couple days?" I asked as we walked out to Jenna's car and put my guitar and the two bags I had brought with me in the trunk.

"Yup," Maren said happily.

"They're really excited for you to come back," Jenna smiled.

"Especially Jamie. It's all he talks about when Nash isn't around," Katia giggled.

"Big surprise," I laughed, rolling my eyes.

Jenna drove back to our apartment building and when we pulled into the parking lot, Caity texted Ian to make sure Nash wouldn't see me.

Her phone went off, letting her know she had a message and she read it out loud: "You know he doesn't even come out of his apartment unless we have a show, so you'll be okay." I simply sighed as I hopped out of the car. We took my things to the elevator to get to Jamie and Katia's apartment after they insisted that I stayed with them.

"Are you sure you guys don't mind me staying with you?" I asked Katia.

"Of course not! Why would we? It's not like I have to worry about you taking Jamie from me," she giggled again.

"You're right. We aren't in the south anymore," I teased. We reached the third floor and the elevator doors opened.

Caity peeked out, "All clear."

"Thank you, Agent Tanner. What would we ever do without you?" I asked sarcastically.

"Get caught," she winked. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head and laughing as we walked to Katia's apartment.

Katia opened the door and we saw Jamie, Ryan, Ian, and Cameron sitting on the couch. Jenna closed the door behind us and the guys looked over and jumped up, running over to me. I braced myself for the second time right before they tackled me, almost knocking me over.

"Can't breathe," I choked and they let go.

"We missed you!" they said loudly.

"Guys! I know I've been gone for four months, but I also know Nash still lives next door! Could you take it down a bit?" I whispered.

"Sorry," they pouted.

"Come here," I laughed, holding out my arms for a hug. They all happily hugged me before we took my stuff to the guest bedroom.

~

We all hung out in the living room until we decided to go to bed.

"Night, guys," I smiled, giving Ryan, Ian, Cameron, Jenna, Caity, and Maren a hug before they walked out the door and over to their own apartments.

"He really does miss you, Danielle," Jamie said as I closed the door.

I looked at him before I started walking to the guest bedroom, mumbling, "So I've heard."

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, following me.

I sighed as I took my shoes off and looked at him again, "Do you think I made the right choice by coming back?"

"Do you think you made the right choice by coming back?"

"I don't know... I think so, but... Isn't this just me saying that I'll come back no matter what shit he may put me through?"

Jamie shrugged, "That's what you do when you're in love with someone, I guess. You stay with them through all the mistakes they may make, no matter how big or small. It's clear to all of us that Nash is completely miserable without you in his life and we hate seeing him like this. I think that's how we knew he realized what he did and he regrets it: Because the guilt is tearing him apart. He's absolutely, undoubtedly, madly in love with you and we all know you feel the same about him. The both of you seem to be the only ones who can't see it."

"How would you know I'm in love with him?" I asked.

Jamie simply looked at me, "You came back, didn't you?"

"Oh, how I've missed your lectures, Jaim," I sighed sarcastically as I climbed into bed.

"I know. They're so inspiring," he teased as he walked out of the room, "Goodnight, Danielle."

"Goodnight, Jamiebear," I smiled before he closed the door behind him.

-Nash-

I was laying in bed, doing absolutely nothing as I had been for the past four months, when I heard a slightly muffled voice on the other side of the wall say, "Goodnight, Jamiebear." Which, of course, I thought was a bit strange. I could have sworn Danielle was the only one who ever called him that.

I shook my head and shrugged it off, sighing. Probably just my imagination. Just thinking about her name makes me hate myself even more than I already do. I'm not proud of what I did, but I did it.

I did the one thing I swore I would never do to her: I cheated on her. I only had to wait two more weeks before I could publicly call her my girlfriend again, but I blew it. I basically just came to the conclusion that I was so stressed about the whole situation that I just got drunk out of my mind and slept with some random girl I met at the bar. True, I did this all before – which I'm not saying I'm proud of either – but that was before I met Danielle.

When I met her, everything changed. I don't know how she does it, but that damn girl gives me butterflies without even trying and I would do anything to have her look at me like she did when we were together. I want to see her, I want to hear her voice, I want to kiss her, I just want to hold her... Even if it's only one more time.

Sometime in the middle of my thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

~

The next afternoon, I woke up to a loud knock on my door. I lazily got up and shuffled out of my bedroom to answer the door. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times as I opened it and found Ryan, Ian, Jamie, and Cameron standing there with the girls.

"Did you come here to talk about how wonderful your lives are now that none of you are single or can I go back to bed?" I mumbled.

"We have soundcheck, man," Ryan said.

I sighed, "Of course we do... I'll be back in a minute." I closed the door in front of them, not bothering to invite them inside and went to go get ready.

A few minutes later, I walked back out of my apartment to find everyone standing exactly where they were before. I walked out into the hallway and locked my door behind me and we set off to the venue for soundcheck. We went out to eat afterwards and just hung around the city for a few hours before heading back to the venue to prepare for the concert. I began to notice everyone looking...happier...than usual, so I decided to ask Jamie what was going on since he wasn't really doing much of anything.

"Hey, Jamie, can I ask you something?" I asked, walking up to him.

"Sure, what is it?" he said.

"Is it just me, or is everyone really happy today?"

He shrugged, "Maybe they have a reason to be really happy."

I was about to ask what his reason was, but I was interrupted by Zach, "Two minutes 'til showtime, boys!" I sighed and went over to grab my guitar and get ready to go onstage.

~

The show was going really well up until after the last song in our set when we would usually thank the crowd and run off stage, ending the show.

"We're going to do things a little differently for this last song tonight," Ryan announced, "You may or may not have heard the song Nash performed for the very first time a couple days ago, and we think he should sing it again tonight. How's that sound?" The crowd screamed as I stared at Ryan. He, along with Ian and Jamie, quickly left the stage as I sighed and trudged over to Ryan's microphone stand, not really feeling like arguing about it with them.

"I guess I'm singing for you guys," I started, making them scream again, "So, uh... Here's Come Back to California." I began the song normally, but when I heard someone else start singing along, I stopped. I looked around, staring in complete shock as I watched Danielle walk toward me, microphone in hand and singing my song.

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

The crowd screamed and she smiled at them, giving them a small wave before moving her eyes back to mine and continuing.

Come back to California  
Don't leave me all alone  
Go call up Schwarzenegger  
Tell him that I came home

I took a few more seconds to pull myself together and came back into the song quickly.

Come back to California  
It sucks without you here  
It's like the sun stopped shining  
The palm trees disappeared

Come back to California  
Life sucks since you've been gone  
So I'll pour you a mojito  
I'll play your favorite song

I'm just trying to say I miss you  
And I'm just trying to say I miss you  
I miss you  
I miss you  
I missed you

She whispered the last lyric to me away from her microphone and I didn't even think about finishing the song before I lifted my guitar over my head and put it down on the stage, grabbing her face and smashing my lips against hers like my life depended on it. She dropped her mic and to my relief, lightly balled up the sides of my shirt in her hands and kissed back just as hard.

As soon as I pulled back, her arms were around my neck and she was hugging me as tightly as she could. I wrapped my arms around her waist just as tightly, letting a couple tears escape my eyes. The crowd screamed as loudly as they could, making me chuckle. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around my waist and I thanked the crowd before carrying her backstage.

I expected everyone in the room to give us a group hug like they usually did after we finished singing together, but they kept their distance and just let Danielle and I hold each other, which I really appreciated.

After a few minutes of me standing there, holding her up as I hugged her, she put her feet back down on the ground and pulled back. When she did, I realized she was crying.

I brought my hands up to her face and wiped her cheeks, whispering, "No, baby, please don't cry."

"I just missed you," she choked slightly before wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face in my chest.

"I missed you more," I whispered as I wrapped my arms around her again and kissed the top of her head, playing with her hair.

I felt her tears seep through my shirt as she mumbled, "I'm sorry I left." I put my hands back on her face, moving her back to look at her.

"Don't you dare apologize," I said firmly, looking directly into her eyes.

She shook her head slightly, "But maybe if I-"

I interrupted, "Don't blame yourself for this, Danielle."

"But-"

"You did absolutely nothing wrong. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did," I said softly, "I would have reacted the same way, but I will never do anything like that to you again and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you if I have to."

"Promise?" she asked quietly.

"Pinky promise," I said, holding out my pinky. She smiled slightly, which was something I never got tired of, and linked her pinky with mine. I rested my hands on her lower back and she looked up at me, wrapping her own arms around my neck again.

"Do you know why you couldn't have reacted the same way I did?" she asked randomly.

I gave her a confused look, "Why?"

"Because I'm not old enough to drink," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "There's my sarcastic girl."

"Hey! I've got a lot of time to make up for here! You missed out on four whole months of my sarcasm!" she winked.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," I kissed her forehead.

"If you're with me, let me hear you say-" she began yelling before I cut her off by kissing her. "How dare you interrupt my song," she pouted.

"That song hasn't been released yet! What if people can hear you?" I chuckled, "Besides, you'll live."

"But just in case I don't..." She put her hand on the back of my neck and pulled my face to hers, kissing me as passionately as she could. When she pulled away and looked at me, she bit her lip and the smirk on her face started growing.

"I hate when you do that to me," I breathed.

"No, you don't," she smiled, kissing me again. We looked over and the group immediately turned away, acting like they hadn't been watching us. "You might want to prepare yourself," Danielle whispered.

"Why?" I asked.

She didn't answer me, she just looked back at everyone else and shouted, "You idiots better get used to me because I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!" Everyone smiled at her and ran over to us, tackling us in a hug.

When they all pulled back, I suddenly realized something, "How did you learn that song? I only introduced it a couple days ago..."

"Ryan called me," she shrugged. I looked at Ryan, a bit shocked.

He simply smiled, "You were a train wreck without her, man. Even though I didn't want you two together at first, it's pretty obvious to me now that you're perfect for each other."

I smiled back at him, "You know what this means?"

He groaned, "Please don't hug me."

"I'm sorry, I have to," I said, pulling him into a hug before he could protest again. He laughed and hugged me back as everyone else joined in.

~

Title/song used: "Come Back to California" by Hot Chelle Rae


	30. I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In

-Danielle-

After moving all the stuff I had brought with me on the plane back into mine and Nash's apartment, I threw myself onto our bed.

"I hope I never have to do this again," I sighed, looking at Nash. He bit his lip and I quickly pushed myself back up, "Nash... I didn't mean it like that, I swear." He smiled slightly and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside me and wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing the top of jaw just below my ear.

"I know," he mumbled. "Here," he said, "I figured you might want this back now." He pulled the necklace he gave me out of his pocket and putting it around my neck.

"Has it been in your pocket this whole time?" I asked. He nodded and I smiled at him before laying my head on his shoulder, "Can we unpack tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired," I whined.

He chuckled, "You're so cranky when you're tired." We crawled back onto the bed and he wrapped his arms around me again as I laid my head on his chest.

"You know what sucked most about the last four months?" I asked quietly after a few minutes of listening to his heartbeat.

"What?" he whispered.

"Not being able to do this." He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was smiling as he pulled me closer to him. "Nash," I said randomly.

"Danielle," he copied.

"Will you sing to me?"

"What do you want me to sing?"

I thought for a moment, "Why Don't You Love Me."

He smiled, "Of course."

About a minute into the song, I finally fell asleep.

~

The next morning when I woke up, I heard Nash whisper, "Good morning, beautiful."

"I really don't ever wake up before you, do I?" I laughed sleepily, repositioning myself so I was laying on my stomach and leaning on my elbows so I could look at him, "How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour and a half," he shrugged.

"And you didn't get up or anything?" I asked, a bit shocked. He shook his head and I exclaimed, "Why?!"

"I just missed having you in my arms for four months and I didn't want to miss any more time," he said, looking into my eyes.

He leaned in to kiss me and I jumped up off the bed, "Not until I brush my teeth!"

"Who cares?" he laughed loudly, getting up and walking toward me.

I darted into the bathroom and locked the door behind me, "Nope!" I heard him laugh again from the other side of the door and I went to brush my teeth.

When I walked out of the bathroom, I squeaked when someone grabbed my waist from behind me. I was turned around in their arms and looked up at Nash before he crashed his lips against mine.

When he pulled away, he smirked, "Minty."

I laughed and pushed on his shoulder, walking out of the room and into the living room to my guitar case and the two suitcases I had brought with me. I opened up one of my suitcases before I heard my ringtone. I reached into my pocket, looked at the screen, and hit the green button.

"Hey, Mom!" I said happily, walking into the kitchen to get a drink.

"Hi, honey," she smiled, "I just called to make sure you got there safely and to let you know that the rest of your stuff should be arriving by Monday!"

"Thank you," I smiled, "And yeah, it was a long flight, but I'm here!"

"Good! How are things with you and Nash?"

"I think they're better than before, actually. You should have seen the look on his face when I walked out on stage singing his song," I giggled.

"I have seen it!" she laughed.

"How?" I asked, confused.

"Ryan and Jamie sent me a video. It's all over the internet. Almost everyone is really happy you two got back together."

I couldn't help but smile, "Thanks for calling, Mom, and tell Dad I said hi! I love you guys!"

"We love you too, Danielle. Tell everyone we said hello! I'll talk to you again soon."

"Bye," I smiled again, hanging up and stuffing my phone back into my pocket.

"What's this?" I heard Nash ask. I spun around and saw he was holding a CD case in his hand.

I squeaked, rushing over and taking it from him, "Nothing. It's nothing."

He smirked, "If it's nothing, why are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous... You're nervous! So I wrote a couple songs? Who cares? You do it all the time!"

He shook his head and smiled, "I know the first one is about me, if that's what you're worried about. The title kind of gives it away." I looked down, mentally kicking myself for writing 'I Knew You Were Trouble/Honestly' on the CD. "Come on! Play 'em for me!" Nash begged, "I wanna hear!"

"But-"

He cut me off, "You and the girls want to be in a band, right?"

I groaned, knowing where he was going, "Yes."

"Then think about it! These songs could be what gets you guys there!"

I sighed, getting up and taking my guitar out of its case before sitting down on the floor, "Just don't lie to me. If they suck, tell me they suck." Nash sat down in front of me and I continued, looking at him, "Before I start this song, I want you to know I love you. Like, a lot."

He laughed, leaning forward and kissing me, "I love you too. Now play." I took a breath and kept my eyes off of Nash as I began playing.

Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago  
I was in your sights, you got me alone  
You found me, you found me, you found me-e-e-e-e  
I guess you didn't care and I guess I liked that  
And when I fell hard, you took a step back  
Without me, without me, without me-e-e-e-e

And he's long gone  
When he's next to me  
And I realize, the blame is on me

Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Till you put me down

Oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

No apologies, he'll never see you cry  
Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why  
You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning-ing-ing-ing  
And I heard you moved on from whispers on the street  
A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be  
And now I see, now I see, now I see-e-e-e-e

He was long gone  
When he met me  
And I realize, the joke is on me

I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Till you put me down

Oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

And the saddest fear comes creeping in  
That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything  
Yeah

I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Till you put me down

Oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
So shame on me now, flew me to places I'd never been  
Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble  
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
Trouble, trouble, trouble  
I knew you were trouble when you walked in  
Trouble, trouble, trouble

I looked back up to see him staring at me, so I quickly said, "I'm hungry."

I moved to get up, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, "You have to go to our record label with that!"

I looked at him in shock, "Wait, you like it?"

"I love it!" he exclaimed. Suddenly, the apartment door opened and everyone was nearly pushing each other to get in.

Nash and I gave each other a look before I looked back at the group in confusion, "Uh, come in?"

"We heard music!" Ryan said once everyone was inside the apartment.

"Well, we only heard the guitar," Ian said, "But it still sounded amazing."

I was about to speak when Nash said, "It is amazing, but she doesn't want people to hear it."

"Play it for us!" Katia shouted.

I sighed, "There's no way out of this, is there?"

"Nope!" Jenna exclaimed, sitting down beside Nash on the floor, followed by everyone else. I rolled my eyes, playing the song again.

When I finished, everyone started talking all at once about how I should go to RCA with the song.

"Guys!" I shouted to get them to calm down. They all stared at me as I continued, "I can't do it."

"Why?!" they yelled in unison.

"Because people are going to talk shit about Nash and I and I don't want to have to deal with it. I'm done talking about this," I said quietly, taking my guitar off of my lap and setting it down beside me before standing up and walking out the door.

-Nash-

We sat looking at the door for a moment in silence before Jamie spoke quietly, "Maybe I should go talk to her..."

"No," I sighed, getting up, "I'm the reason she doesn't want people to hear it. I'll go talk to her. You guys can stay here and hang out if you want, but make sure to lock the door if you leave."

"That was actually a really responsible thing to say..." Ian commented.

"Who are you and what have you done with Nash?!" Katia shouted dramatically.

I chuckled as I opened the door, "Just do it." I walked to the elevator and went down to the lobby.

I figured she wouldn't have gone too far; She only left three minutes ago and she always goes to the park across the street when she wants to be alone.

After a couple more minutes of walking on a path surrounded by trees, I got this random feeling to look up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up at Danielle with her back against the tree.

"Taking pictures," she replied quietly.

"You don't have your camera."

"I have a phone," she said, jumping down from the tree.

"Well, where is it?"

"Jesus Christ, why are you interrogating me? I'm not the one that did anything wrong!" she shouted, sitting on a bench a few feet away.

I sat beside her, but left some space between us and we sat in silence for a few minutes as I let her cool off.

"Nash," I heard her sigh and looked at her face to see her open her mouth, pausing before she quietly said, "I... I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's okay," I whispered.

She groaned lightly, putting her face in her hands and mumbling, "No, it's not and you know it." I stared at her for a moment before reaching over and grabbing her wrist, pulling her onto my lap.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her cheek, resting my forehead on her temple, "Yes, it is okay. I'd be mad at me too, and I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me."

"I did forgive you," she sighed, "And I'm not mad at you. I should have seen it coming."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at her.

"That girl you were with that night was Natalie," she mumbled, still refusing to look up at me, "She was one of the girls in the bowling alley that tried to convince you to break up with me."

"Oh my god," I whispered, instantly feeling even more horrible about the whole thing than I already did.

"This isn't your fault, Nash. I know you have trouble controlling yourself when you're drunk."

"That doesn't give me an excuse, Danielle..."

"All she did was take advantage of you and had that not worked, she would have found a different way to break us up."

"But why wait after we moved out here? Why not just make school hell?"

"She did make school hell and she's going to make the rest of my life hell until she gets what she wants: You. She may not want you specifically, but if it means ruining my life, she'll do anything it takes."

"Listen to me," I told her, putting my hand on her cheek and turning her head so she would look at me, "She may have gotten you away from me once, but it's not going to happen again, got it?" She nodded and I leaned in, kissing her.

"I love you," she whispered against my lips.

"I love you more," I smiled.

~

Title/song used: "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift


	31. Hold Onto Me Tight When It All Falls Down

-Jamie-

"What do we want to do today?" Maren asked as we were all sitting around the living room of my apartment.

"I vote we go to the beach!" Jenna said.

"But it's too hot!" Katia whined, "Why can't we just stay in the air conditioning?"

"Come on, Kat," Danielle smiled, "It'll be fun!" Everyone went back to their apartments to get ready and Katia just stood there, playing with her ring.

"What's wrong?" I asked, walking over to her.

"I don't want to wear a bathing suit out in public," she mumbled.

"You've worn a bathing suit before. You look beautiful. Now what's really wrong?"

She sighed, "It's just... That time, it was just all of us and you guys are the only people who know about my scars..." There was a knock at the door just as I was about to speak. I rushed over and opened the door, seeing everyone was ready to go.

"Why aren't you ready, Follese?" Danielle pouted.

"Can we maybe meet you guys there?" I asked quietly, "We just need some time to talk alone."

Ryan nodded, "Sure thing, bro. We'll see you guys in a bit."

"Thanks," I smiled as I closed the door, walking back to Katia, "Do you remember that day I found out you hurt yourself?" She nodded slightly and I continued, "Well, I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you and I think now is as good a time as any."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"The day after our date, I had Ryan and Danielle help me write a song. I was afraid you weren't gonna like it, so I never told you," I said, taking a CD case out of its bin, "This is Ryan singing because I get way too nervous. All rambling aside, we were thinking about putting it on our next album, but we all agreed that we wanted to make sure it was okay with you first." I pushed the CD into the CD player and hit play.

Falling stars don't crash through your window  
If you want it, go get it, it's meant to be chased  
All your scars won't heal till you let go  
You're perfectly worth it, forget your mistakes

If you wanna fly, leave this world with me  
We'll touch the sky, let's defy this gravity  
Hold onto me tight when it all falls down

You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable  
If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible

When you're broken and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster  
You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable

Yeah, we've both been touched by the same flame  
Don't worry, I've got you, I won't let you burn  
You and I got played by the same game  
We're in it together for better or worse

If you wanna fly, leave this world with me  
We'll touch the sky, let's defy this gravity  
Hold onto me tight when it all falls down

You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable  
If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible

When you're broken and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster  
You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable

There's a feeling inside you just dying to break through  
Open up and set it free  
We're on a horizon  
Just look in my eyes and you will see

When you're broken and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster

You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever unstoppable  
If you're torn apart, I'll make you see  
That nothing's impossible

When you're broken and you're shattered  
Love will save you from disaster  
You can take my heart if yours won't beat  
We're forever, forever, forever unstoppable

Forever unstoppable  
Forever unstoppable  
Forever unstoppable  
Forever unstoppable

I looked at Katia when the song was over and she was smiling with tears in her eyes.

She looked at me and nodded quickly, "Put it on the album."

"You like it?" I asked.

"I love it," she said quietly, kissing me before we got ready to meet everyone at the beach.

~

-Danielle-

"I've been thinking," Nash randomly said as we were sitting on our towels under the umbrella while everyone else was in the water.

"Oh, boy," I groaned, turning over to lay on my stomach and look at him.

"It's nothing bad," he chuckled, "It's just... I've been thinking a lot the past few months and I realized something."

"And what was that?"

He opened his mouth, but paused for a moment, "I don't think anything happened the day you left."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up.

He sat up to face me, "I mean, I obviously can't deny that Natalie was there, but I've been remembering bits and pieces throughout the past 4 months."

"And?"

"Yeah, she was in our room, but I remember getting home right before you did. Like, as soon as I laid down, I heard you and her talking."

"I don't really get where this is going, Nash..."

"Chord wanted to meet at the bar and I did drink that night, but I only had a couple beers. After the second one, I started to feel funny. This girl started talking to me and I thought I recognized her, but I couldn't figure it out and everything was just really fuzzy and I felt really nauseous. So she told Chord that she was one of your friends and that she would make sure I got home so he could get rest for filming."

"Wait," I squeaked, "She drugged you?!"

He nodded quickly, "I usually remember everything I did the next day, but I couldn't remember a thing!"

"I've never been more happy to be wrong in my life!" I shouted, throwing myself back down on the ground. Nash scooted over closer to me, laying on his stomach and resting on his forearms beside me. He smiled at me and I raised my eyebrows at him, "What?"

"Nothing," he said, "You just look really pretty, as always."

"Shut up," I laughed, hoping I wasn't blushing too badly. That hope was gone as soon as I noticed a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. He turned over to lay on his back, getting as close to me as he could and grabbing my hand.

"I love you," he mumbled, kissing my nose.

"I love you too," I smiled, kissing his nose in return.

-Jenna-

I looked over to where Nash and Danielle were sitting and saw they were pretty into whatever they were talking about, so I decided not to bother them.

"I just love the beach," I sighed, laying down on my beach towel after being in the water.

"Yeah, it's nice being here. Especially here with my favorite girl," he grinned.

"That was so unbelievably cheesy," I giggled, kissing his cheek.

"Ryan?" we heard above us. We both looked up to see a girl standing beside his towel.

Ryan covered his face and mumbled, "Hey, Skylar."

"I thought that was you! What are you doing back? I thought you weren't planning on moving here," she demanded.

"Wait, what?" I asked Ryan.

"He was supposed to come back after spring break and move in with me, but he ditched out on it last minute. He only broke up with me because of the distance between here and Tennessee, by the way," she replied before he could answer.

I looked at him as he rolled his eyes, "That and because because I found out you were cheating on me. This is my current girlfriend, Jenna, by the way."

"Oh, so this is the girl you go on and on about on Twitter. She's, uh, cute," she smirked.

"No, she's beautiful and smart and funny and has an amazing voice – she's basically everything you're not," he replied smugly.

"So, um, could you maybe go away and quit ruining our day?" I stated.

"Excuse you?" she said angrily.

"Yes, Skylar. Please go away. Jenna and I are trying to enjoy the beach," he replied, laying down on his back.

"This isn't over, Follese," she warned, walking away.

"What was that about?" Caity asked, trotting back to her towel.

"Oh, nothing. It was just Skylar," Ryan shrugged.

"Just Skylar? She's basically trying to get you to go back to her!" I stated angrily.

"Jen-" he started before I cut him off.

"No, I can tell what she's doing. She's trying to get you to dump me and go back to her," I said.

"Yeah, I think Jenna's right, Ryan. She started this shit a while ago when she came to Tennessee," Ian mentioned.

"When was this?" I asked. It was all news to me.

"Like a year ago – before he knew you," Ian answered.

"Oh, well, that makes everything better," I rolled my eyes.

"Jenna, just ignore her. She'll go away eventually," Ryan tried to comfort me.

"And when she doesn't?"

"Then we'll deal with it," he told me, kissing my forehead.

~

Title/song used: Forever Unstoppable by Hot Chelle Rae

Thanks to my friend Sarah for a good portion of this chapter!


	32. You're All I Need Tonight

-Danielle-

A few days later, the guys had another show and asked me to perform my new songs. Well, more like they begged, Nash pouted, and I gave in. I wasn't nervous about being onstage in front of people – that was far from the reason for my nerves. How their fans would react to the songs was what I was most nervous about.

I was terrified they wouldn't like them – as I'm sure every musician is when introducing new songs – but the fact that the songs were about Nash and weren't exactly the nicest made me scared everyone would hate me for them.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked as the band walked backstage halfway through their set.

"You're gonna be amazing," Nash said quietly, kissing my forehead, "You always are."

I smiled, "You're just trying to get out of trouble for using your pouting against me again, aren't you?"

"Some details to this aren't important," he chuckled, "What's important is that we all know you can do this and you're going to be just fine." I took a breath and nodded, hugging him tightly before picking up my guitar and going onstage.

"Hey, guys," I said into the microphone as the crowd cheered. "I'm sure all of you know what went down between Nash and I a few months ago and I wrote a couple new songs that the guys so lovingly demanded that I sing for you all tonight." The crowd laughed and I smiled, "This first song is called I Knew You Were Trouble."

~

After I finished the song, everyone was screaming and I looked back at Nash, noticing he was smiling at me and motioning for me to go on.

"I'm glad you guys liked that one! Nash liked it too, interestingly enough," I joked, making Nash laugh. "This second one is called Honestly."

Honestly, why are my clothes out on the street?  
Honestly, I think you have lost your mind  
I can't believe I came home to find my car keyed  
Honestly, I'm way too tired to fight  
Round and round, drama every time

I'ma go cause I've got no problem with saying goodbye  
Is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life?  
Cause deep down I know I should cry, I should scream  
And get down on my knees, I should say that I need you here

But I'm gonna party tonight  
Cause honestly, I just don't care  
Honestly, I just don't care

Honestly, everybody's stoked I'm finally free  
Honestly, my phone's blowing up tonight  
I'll go out, get drunk again, make out with all your dumb friends  
Tag your face just to rub it in

I'ma go cause I've got no problem with saying goodbye  
Is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life?  
Cause deep down I know I should cry, I should scream  
And get down on my knees, I should say that I need you here

But I'm gonna party tonight  
Cause honestly, I just don't care  
Honestly, I just don't care

So don't roll up when they're playing my song  
Don't act right when you know you're dead wrong  
You're out of line, out of line  
Goodnight

I'm undercover, so you can drop that bomb  
It's a little too late cause I'm already gone  
I'm already gone  
Honestly, you did it to yourself, so don't blame me

I'ma go cause I've got no problem with saying goodbye  
Is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life?  
Cause deep down I know I should cry, I should scream  
And get down on my knees, I should say that I need you here  
But I'm gonna party tonight

I'ma go cause I've got no problem with saying goodbye  
Is it wrong that I'm gonna be having the time of my life?  
Cause deep down I know I should cry, I should scream  
And get down on my knees, I should say that I need you here

But I'm gonna party tonight  
Cause honestly, I just don't care  
Honestly, I just don't care  
Cause honestly, I just don't care  
Honestly, I just don't care

-Nash-

"I hope you guys liked those!" she smiled once she was finished as the crowd screamed once again. She looked over at us as we were getting ready to go back on stage and quickly said, "Actually... If it's okay with the band, I'd like to just do one more song..." We stopped and nodded curiously. I stared at her intently as she went on, "Now, no one but Ryan knows about this song – not even Nash – so this is the first time pretty much anyone hearing it. I felt like I'd be distracted from the lyrics if I played it myself, so that's why I asked Ryan to play it for me."

The crowd cheered as Ryan walked onstage, obviously excited to know that they were the first people to hear the song. Cameron rushed out to get her guitar and she began her speech while he was leaving the stage.

"I know the first two songs that came out of this whole situation were more or less anger based, but, to be quite honest, I did have my moments where I felt like absolute shit and just wanted him back, so I guess this is kinda what this last song is about. Um, I'm just gonna shut up and let y'all hear it now," she took a breath and laughed nervously, motioning for Ryan to start playing, "This song is called A Little Too Not Over You."

You never cross my mind at all  
That's what I tell myself  
What we had has come and gone  
You're better off with someone else  
It's for the best, I know it is

But I see you  
Sometimes I try to hide what I feel inside  
And I turn around, you're with her now   
I just can't figure it out

Tell me why you're so hard to forget  
Don't remind me, I'm not over it  
Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth  
I'm just a little too not over you, not over you

Our memories are supposed to fade  
What's wrong with my heart?  
Shake it off, let it go  
Didn't think it'd be this hard  
Should be strong moving on

But I see you  
Sometimes I try to hide what I feel inside  
And I turn around, you're with her now  
I just can't figure it out

Tell me why you're so hard to forget  
Don't remind me, I'm not over it  
Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth  
I'm just a little too not over you

Maybe I regret everything I said  
No way to take it all back, yeah  
Now I'm on my own, how I let you go  
I'll never understand, I'll never understand

I heard her voice crack and it nearly brought me to tears hearing how much emotion she was putting into the song.

Tell me why you're so hard to forget  
Don't remind me, I'm not over it  
Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth  
I'm just a little too not over you

Tell me why you're so hard to forget  
Don't remind me, I'm not over it  
Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth  
And I really don't know what to do  
I'm just a little too not over you, not over you

She looked down and I just knew she was trying not to fall apart onstage. The crowd scream louder as I ran out and wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"I love you so much," I whispered in her ear. She smiled, letting out a breath and leaning into me before regaining her composure enough to look back up.

"I love you too," she said quietly, smiling at me and kissing my cheek before thanking the crowd and returning backstage to let us finish our set.

~

"I hope you guys enjoyed the show!" Ryan smiled as the crowd screamed once again, "We actually have something a little special planned for this last song if we could get our lovely girlfriends out here." They stared at us from the side of the stage, a very confused look on each of their faces, but walked out anyway.

"I was only supposed to be on stage once tonight," Danielle stated as I had her sit down on a stool as were the other guys with Jenna, Caity, Katia, and Maren – although Cameron wouldn't be on stage, he did help – that Zach and Cameron had brought out while Ryan was talking.

"Oh, did we forget to mention that?" I chuckled, "Sorry."

"You're lucky I love you," she said, trying not to crack a smile.

"We've been working on this song for quite a while now, Cameron and Jamie included," Ryan continued, "And since this night has been full of new songs, we thought it wouldn't hurt to introduce one more to you and to these beautiful ladies right here! Is that okay with you guys?" The crowd, of course, cheered in response and Ryan smiled, "This song is called Higher."

It feels like a dream the way you're looking at me  
Letting your eyes do the talking  
There's no need for words, you're in my Van Halen shirt  
Dancing like nobody's watching

You pull me close and now I know  
This is where I wanna stay, yeah  
Frozen in time, your lips on mine  
I feel like we could float away

Take me higher and higher till I can't breathe  
I don't need air when you're kissing me  
You make my world feel like paradise  
And you're all I need tonight

Take me higher and higher, we're off the ground  
There's no turning back and we can't slow down  
We're falling in love at the speed of light  
And you're all I need tonight

I brush the hair from your face, my other hand on your waist  
Just like a scene from a movie  
Clothes start hitting the floor before we get through the door  
I'm finally right where I should be

You pull me close and now I know  
This is where I wanna stay, yeah  
Frozen in time, your lips on mine  
I feel like we could float away

Take me higher and higher till I can't breathe  
I don't need air when you're kissing me  
You make my world feel like paradise  
And you're all I need tonight

Take me higher and higher, we're off the ground  
There's no turning back and we can't slow down  
We're falling in love at the speed of light  
And you're all I need tonight

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
You're all I need tonight  
Baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
You're all I need tonight  
Tonight, tonight  
Tonight, tonight

Take me higher and higher till I can't breathe  
I don't need air when you're kissing me  
You make my world feel like paradise  
And you're all I need tonight

Take me higher and higher, we're off the ground  
There's no turning back and we can't slow down  
We're falling in love at the speed of light  
And you're all I need tonight

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
You're all I need tonight  
Baby, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah  
You're all I need tonight  
And you're all I need tonight

The crowd screamed as loudly as they could when we were finished and the girls had the biggest smiles on their faces.

As we were all walking off the stage after thanking everyone for coming to the show, someone shouted, "What about Why Don't You Love Me?!"

I looked at Danielle and she giggled, "Fine, but only because I love your fans." I chuckled, shaking my head and grabbing my guitar, walking back onto the stage with Danielle.

~

Title/song used: "Higher" by Hot Chelle Rae  
Other songs used: "Honestly" by Hot Chelle Rae  
"A Little Too Not Over You" by David Archuleta


	33. There's Room for Two Six Feet Under the Stars

-Ryan-

The guys and I convinced the girls to come shopping with us as part of something special we had been planning for them since we found out we would be touring with Taylor Swift in a couple months. We didn't tell them much about why they had to come with us, just that they needed to pick out nice dresses and shoes.

"Jamie!" Katia called from her dressing room.

"I'll be right back," he told Nash, Ian, Cameron, and I while we were all waiting for the girls to try on dresses. I didn't catch what she said to him, but I heard Jamie tell her quietly, "Don't worry, you're going to look beautiful. You always do." He came back over to where we were standing and smiled slightly.

"Self-confidence issues again?" Nash asked him. He nodded, but before he could say anything, Danielle came out of the dressing rooms and ushered us away.

When we were a fair way away from the dressing room, she whispered, "I understand that you're guys and you're always going to be curious as to why we struggle with body image and whatnot, but if you could maybe keep it down a bit so she can't hear you openly discussing it in the middle of the store, it would be much appreciated."

"Sorry," we mumbled in unison.

"She's not going to overcome this overnight. This is a constant battle she's dealing with and I know that's something you're not fully understanding of, but at least try to be considerate. Please." We nodded quickly and she rushed back to the dressing rooms.

"She'll get through it," I assured Jamie, "I know she will."

~

After all was said and done a couple hours later – not without arguing from the girls about us buying them new clothes, of course – we all went our separate ways for the afternoon. Danielle and Jenna went out with everyone else for lunch while Nash and I went the music store to pick up some things as we weren't very hungry.

-Nash-

I said goodbye to Ryan after getting the new strings for my and Danielle's guitars before tonight's surprise for the girls and headed home. I was about to open the door when I stopped after hearing a guy's voice coming from inside the apartment.

"Jordan, you need to leave," I heard Danielle say.

"Why? He'll never know I was here," he responded. I could just hear the amusement in his voice.

"Oh, I think he might figure it out," I said, walking into the apartment and seeing Jordan holding her wrist. I was beyond angry at that point and the shocked expression Danielle was giving me wasn't making it any better.

"Oh, boy. Talk about awkward," Jordan said, letting go of her and inching toward the door, "I better get going." He looked at Danielle and smirked, "Call me when you get done here." He closed the door behind him and I turned toward Danielle.

Before I could say anything, she squeaked, "Nash, I know what you're thinking, but that's not what happened at all!"

"Then what did happen, Danielle? Because I'm dying to hear what excuses you had planned for me."

"I don't have any ex-"

"Oh, come on! Sure you do! Seriously, what are they? I wanna hear them!"

"I really didn't-"

"No, I know you didn't mean for me to find out about it! It seemed pretty obvious that you didn't when you told him he needed to leave!"

"Nash, just let me-" I began to cut her off again, but she yelled, "No! I am going to get out my side of the story and you are gonna fucking listen to me whether you like it or not!"

I'll admit I was bit startled. She rarely ever yelled, but when she did, I knew it was best to just shut up and let her talk. She took a breath and let it out rather quickly in an attempt to calm herself down before she continued.

"He literally just walked through the door two minutes ago!" she said exasperatedly, "I told him to leave like, five times, but he wouldn't listen!"

I took a moment to be sure she was finished before I spoke again, "I don't get how you can think I'm just supposed to believe that! I want to know why, okay? Why would you, after all this time, do the one thing to me that you said you never could to anyone? How could you cheat on me?"

"I didn't cheat on you!" she exclaimed, allowing the tears she had been holding in to fall down her cheeks.

"Really? Then what was all that 'he'll never know I was here' bullshit he was saying?" I slowly began walking toward her and she kept backing away from me.

"Well, it's not like I could have forced him to leave! He's twice as strong as I am, Nash! What was I supposed to do?!" she cried as her back hit the wall. I let out a frustrated sigh, raising my arm up to scratch the back of my neck, but it caused her to flinch and close her eyes as tightly as she could.

The anger immediately disappeared and was replaced with shock at the thought of her feeling that the argument had gotten to the point where she thought I would physically hurt her. I covered my face with my hands for a few seconds, breathing in deeply and letting it out.

"Babe..." I said softly, closing the six inch gap between the two of us. She cautiously opened her eyes and I took her face in my hands, wiping her tear-stained cheeks, "I... I would never purposely hurt you, Danielle – you know that. Why would you think I would?" She shrugged, refusing to look at me. I gave her a confused look and asked, "Has it happened before?" She barely nodded. "Who did it?" She remained silent and bit her lip and I just knew the answer. "It was Jordan, wasn't it?" I asked angrily, "He hit you? That prick fucking acts like he owns you and he had the nerve to touch you like that?!"

"Nash..." she whimpered, letting me know I was getting too loud.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, kissing her forehead. I took her over to the couch and sat down, pulling her onto my lap and holding her tightly. "Why didn't you tell me after you saw him at RCA back in Nashville?"

"I don't know," she sighed, laying her head on my shoulder, "I guess I just thought I would never see him again."

"What about the second time when he showed up at our concert?"

"Cause you broke up with me after it happened and I thought you wouldn't care," she choked on her tears and was shaking uncontrollably. I took her face in my hands, making her look at me.

"I'm sorry," I repeated before pressing my lips to hers for a few moments.

"It's not your fault," she shook her head after I pulled away, burying her face into my neck, "I shouldn't have let him in."

"You said it yourself," I told her, "You wouldn't have been able to do anything, but you have to let me know if he starts bothering you again, okay?"

She lifted her head and looked at me, "Don't put him in the hospital."

"I'm not going to put him in the hospital," I replied.

"I know how protective you get, Nash. I just don't want you to do anything stupid."

"I won't, okay? I promise." She stuck out her pinky and I chuckled, linking it with my own.

~

-Danielle-

"Alright," Ryan said once we were all outside after getting dressed, "Nash and I will take Danielle and Jenna, Ian and Cameron will take Caity and Maren, and then Jamie will take Katia, cool?" He earned a chorus of 'yes's from each of the guys and we all piled into our respective vehicles.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Jenna asked.

"And why did it have to be done at night?" I added.

"You'll see when we get there," Ryan told us, as he had been for most of the day.

The guys were taking us to an 'undisclosed location' as they put it, refusing to give us any details as to why we were all dressed like we were going to a ball you only hear about in movies.

We arrived at a building that looked like it hadn't been given proper attention in years. We all climbed out of our cars and stood there, staring at the building.

"Is this the part where we all die?" Caity asked, half-jokingly.

"Yes," Ian chuckled, "But not from the reasons you're thinking." We gave the guys a look before they each stuck their elbows out to us and led us inside. They took us up three flights of stairs before stopping at the door to the roof.

"Now-" Ryan began, "-you girls have sacrificed a lot more for us than I think you realize by moving us out to LA, and we wanted to find a way to thank you."

Nash nodded, "But we didn't want to just say thank you because honestly, that's not enough. So we came up with the idea to give you what you won't really get while we're on the Speak Now tour."

"Ladies," Ryan smiled again, "Welcome to your unofficially official prom."

He opened the door and we stepped outside to see a canopy of Christmas lights over our heads and along the ledge of the roof. There was a laptop with iTunes open and speakers set up to our right and Ryan walked over to it, hitting play.

"This is beautiful!" Jenna squeaked.

"If we had known you guys planned all this, we would have picked our outfits a little more carefully," Maren giggled.

"Speak for yourself; I look hot," Caity teased.

"That you do," Ian chuckled, kissing Caity's cheek.

"You all look gorgeous," Jamie smiled, looking at Katia. She blushed and he quickly kissed her forehead, pulling her closer to him.

"Enough with the small talk!" I exclaimed, "Let's get dancing!"

~

About half an hour later, a slow song began playing and Nash pulled me into him. I smiled, resting my arms across his shoulders as he wrapped his own around my waist.

I laid my head on his shoulder, hearing him say a few seconds later, "I love you – you know that, right?" I nodded and he continued quietly, "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I shouldn't have assumed-"

"Nash," I said, lifting my head off of his shoulder to look at him, "Anyone would have assumed what you did walking into that room."

"I still shouldn't have yelled at you though," he shook his head, "I know you hate it when I yell – especially at you – and just because I was angry doesn't mean I should have started yelling."

"I love you, Nash," I told him, "Yeah, I hate it when you yell and when you leave your clothes all over the place and that you don't clean up after yourself, but that's what you do when you love someone. You learn to deal with all the little things that annoy you because at the end of the day when we're lying in bed and you're singing me to sleep, none of that matters. What matters is you and me; Not the silly arguments we may have had that day or when we have to throw away everything you burnt while trying to make dinner because you can't cook by yourself to save your life or that you can never seem to remember that the coffee table isn't where the dirty dishes go. I love you and everything that comes with it. I love that you take care of me when I'm sick even though you might get sick too. I love how nervous and excited you get just before the band releases a new song. I love that you take the time to see every fan after a show whether you're running late or not. I love the feeling I get when you come home after a long day at the studio and you would rather take me out to dinner than stay home and sleep. I love that you love every song I write and that you're not afraid to say 'I don't think this works here, but I think this would make it better'. I love that you treat me like I'm the most important thing in the world and that if you held me the wrong way, I would just break in half. I love you and only you; Not Jordan, not MacKenzie, not some guy at one of your shows or a guy I knew in high school: You. And that will never change." I took a breath and let it out slowly, laughing quietly, "Sorry, got a bit carried away there, didn't I?" A smile began taking shape on Nash's face as he closed the gap between our faces, kissing me.

"I love you too," he told me after slowly pulling away, "So much."

I smiled back, "I know," kissing him again.

~

Title: "Six Feet Under the Stars" by All Time Low


	34. Love Comes Slow and It Goes So Fast

-Danielle-

(Day before leaving for tour)

I had finally finished all my packing for tour and Nash was finishing up his, so I thought it would be nice to actually cook something for dinner instead of eating out. We decided on my specialty, more commonly known as nachos.

After it was finished, I began walking toward our bedroom when I heard him singing. I stood there listening to a couple lines before telling him dinner was ready. He walked out, following me to the living room where I had put the food and our drinks.

~

After we finished eating and the show we were watching went to commercials, I decided to ask him about the song.

"What were you singing earlier?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He muted the TV and looked at me.

"Earlier, when you were packing, I heard you singing something I haven't heard before."

"Oh," he laughed nervously, "It's, uh, it's nothing."

"Are you lying to me?" I poked him.

"Lying is a strong word. I would put it more as I'm not being completely honest..." I began to stick out my bottom lip, but he covered my mouth with the palm of his hand, "Don't even start that!"

"You do it to me all the time!" I laughed, my voice muffled by his hand.

"This time is different," he shrugged, taking his hand back.

"How is this any different than-"

"No!" he exclaimed, jumping off of the couch and pointing at me, "Don't you dare bring examples into this!"

I giggled lightly, "-Remembering Sunday?"

"Damn it!" he shouted.

I smiled proudly, knowing he was going to give in, "Please? It sounded really good!"

He looked at me for a moment before sighing, "Fine."

He walked into our bedroom for a few seconds, returning with his guitar and sitting on the floor in front of where I was on the couch. He didn't give me any kind of introduction, he kind of just glanced at me before looking back down at his guitar and began playing.

Well, you only need the light when it's burning low  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low  
Only hate the road when you're missing home  
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

Staring at the bottom of your glass  
Hoping one day you'll make a dream last  
But dreams come slow and they go so fast

You see her when you close your eyes  
Maybe one day you'll understand why  
Everything you touch surely dies

But you only need the light when it's burning low  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low  
Only hate the road when you're missing home  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Staring at the ceiling in the dark  
Same old empty feeling in your heart  
Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast

Well, you see her when you fall asleep  
But never to touch and never to keep  
Cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep

Well, you only need the light when it's burning low  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low  
Only hate the road when you're missing home  
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go  
And you let her go  
Well, you let her go

Cause you only need the light when it's burning low  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low  
Only hate the road when you're missing home  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Cause you only need the light when it's burning low  
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow  
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low  
Only hate the road when you're missing home  
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go

He looked back up at me just as I wiped a tear off of my cheek. I leaned down, putting my hands on his shoulders for support, and kissed him.

"That was beautiful," I whispered when I pushed myself back up. He gave me a shy smile, laying his guitar on the floor beside him and pulling me onto his lap instead. He wrapped his arms around me as I buried my face in his neck and asked, "When did you write that?"

"Around the time I wrote Come Back to California," he answered quietly.

"Why'd you choose that one instead of this one?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I guess it was more fitting."

"Well, either way, I love it," I smiled, moving to look at him.

"I love you," he said, kissing my nose.

"I know," I kissed his nose in return, "I love you too."

~

The next day, we woke up with about half an hour until our flight, which we weren't too worried about since we'd already finished everything we needed to and it was only a 10 minute drive to LAX.

"Ryan!" I heard Jenna shout from the apartment across the hall, "We don't have time for this!"

I looked at Nash, "I'll be right back." I walked out into the hall and knocked on Jenna's door before walking in, "What's going on in here, man?"

She let out a defeated sigh as she walked out of her bedroom, "He thinks he need to bring his entire wardrobe."

"Ryan," I laughed, walking into their room, "It's okay to wear things more than once."

"I know!" he exclaimed, "But I have concert outfits and sightseeing outfits and they need to be organized!"

"Ryan, you can organize them when we get to our hotel, okay? But right now, if you don't hurry up, we're gonna miss our flight!"

"But-"

"Planes don't wait, Ry," I cut him off, shaking my head, "Just stuff everything in your suitcases and let's go." I walked back out to Jenna, finding Katia now standing in the room.

"Why didn't he start packing before last night?" she asked, laughing lightly.

"Believe me, I tried that," Jenna sighed, "His response was 'If I do it now, everything will get wrinkled, Jenna!'" she said, mimicking his voice.

"I do not sound like that," Ryan said, walking into the room with his suitcases.

"But it's just gonna get wrinkled anyway," Katia gave him a confused look.

"That's what I said!" Jenna shouted. Ryan rolled his eyes as Katia and I giggled.

"Seriously though, guys," I smiled, "We've gotta get going." I rushed back to my apartment, throwing my carry on bag over my shoulder, stuffing my phone into my pocket, grabbing my camera, and wheeling my suitcase to the hallway as Nash quickly followed. We all met up in the hall, making sure all of our doors were locked before heading to LAX.

~

Around 21 hours and a few stops later, we finally landed at Perth Airport. We stopped by our hotel to put our things in our rooms before going sightseeing for a while. We thought it would be easier just getting a hotel in each of the cities than trying to cram – at minimum – ten people onto a tour bus. Plus, we wanted to be able to use actual showers.

The girls decided to stay out and shop while the guys and I left to meet up with Taylor at the venue for sound check. When we got to the venue, we walked through the front entrance just to see how big it really was inside.

"Wow," Ryan whispered in awe.

"How are 20,000 people going to fit in here?" Nash wondered out loud.

"Dude," Ian chuckled, "This place is gigantic."

"I think they'll make it work," I said, looking around.

"How about we go find Taylor?" Jamie suggested. We were all quick to agree and set off to look for her.

When we found her, she was talking with the crew about more of the technical parts of the show such as how she would go on stage.

"Taylor!" Ryan said excitedly as we walked into the room.

"Guys!" she smiled, hugging all of them.

"This is our photographer, Danielle," he told her.

"Actually, Ian is their photographer," I corrected him, "But since he'll be on stage during Hot Chelle Rae's set, I was the next best thing they could find. Not to mention they were pretty happy when I said I would rather be paid with french fries. It's a win/win for everybody, really."

Taylor laughed, "Well, welcome aboard. Have you guys seen the stadium yet?"

"Yeah!" Ian said, "It's insane! This is gonna be the biggest show we've ever played!"

"And hopefully get us more fans," Nash added.

"Oh, I see how it is. I guess I'm not good enough for you anymore," I sighed dramatically.

"You're always good enough for me, babe," he chuckled, kissing my cheek.

Taylor shook her head and laughed, "So you guys ready for sound check?"

"Yup!" Ryan said happily.

"Danielle," she said, looking at me, "We want to do a tour diary sort of thing along with the photos, would you be up for filming that for us?"

I gasped quietly, "Yeah, of course!"

"Awesome! We can work on that while they sound check!"

"Sounds good!" I grinned and looked at the guys, "See you losers later!" and walked with Taylor to her dressing room.

~

-Ryan-

"We still need to figure out the set list," Ian reminded us as we got our instruments out of their cases and began setting up.

"Right!" I said, "What songs should we do?"

"Don't we have like, a 30 minute set?" Jamie asked, "I feel like Tonight Tonight is an obvious one though."

I nodded, "And I Like It Like That. We'll just skip the rapping."

"We should do a couple songs from Lovesick Electric, too," Nash added.

"Probably I Like to Dance and Bleed since everyone at our shows seem to like them."

"What about Why Don't You Love Me?" Ian asked.

"Should we ask Taylor to do it?" Nash questioned.

Ian gave him a confused look, "I was thinking Danielle could do it."

"Would she though?" Jamie asked, his voice sounding worried.

"Why not?" he shrugged, "She's only ever not performed it with him once."

"Why don't we ask her and then go from there?" I suggested. They nodded in agreement and I called for Danielle.

-Danielle-

While Taylor, her manager, and I were discussing the things I would be doing for the tour, I heard Ryan yell my name.

"I don't know what they did, but I promise they'll replace it," I half-joked as Taylor and I made our way to the stage.

"There was nothing for them to break out there except lights and those are all the way up on the ceiling," she laughed, "If they broke any of those, I'd be more impressed than anything."

"I wouldn't put it past them, honestly," I laughed along, shaking my head as we made it to the stage. "Jealous we aren't getting enough camera time already, boys?" I teased.

Ryan laughed sarcastically, "Not this time. We were wondering how you would feel about doing Why Don't You Love Me tonight."

"Shouldn't you be doing that with Taylor? It is her tour and all..." I trailed off.

Taylor smiled and told me, "It's okay to be nervous. It's your first big show."

"I am not nervous," I laughed, "I'm just thinking about your fans! You know, cause like, they paid to see you and they would much rather have you sing it than some girl they've never heard of."

"A lot more people have heard about you than you think," Jamie chimed in.

"That doesn't mean everyone likes me, Jamie!" I suddenly exclaimed, "There are still gonna be people who hate me and do you honestly believe that I can handle what they'll say? Because I certainly don't!" I felt my face getting hot as I let out a breath and mumbled, "Okay, so I'm a little nervous."

Taylor looked at the guys and said, "Could you guys maybe give us a couple minutes?" They did and we walked over and stood at the edge of the stage, facing the empty stadium. "I've seen videos of you at shows and I know it's not a problem performing in front of people," she said, "So what is it?"

"There weren't 20,000 of them staring back at me," I mumbled, "These guys have never been an opening act and all the people at their shows have gone just to see them, but people are coming here to see you and I just think you should do it with him instead..."

"I get that you're scared they won't like you – I was like that for a long time – but that doesn't mean you should stop yourself from going for your dreams."

"So how do you deal with it?" I asked, finally looking at her.

She smiled at me, "Think about it like this: When you go out and a fan recognizes you, would you rather them come up to you and ask for a picture or walk by because they're nervous?"

"Ask for a picture, obviously!"

"You kind of have to think of it in that way. If that fan didn't stop you, they wouldn't get to tell all their friends that they met the person who inspires them most. There are always going to be people who don't like you whether it's your music or what you say or what you do, but to me, the happiness of one fan outweighs the ignorance of ten thousand strangers."

"You really think I should do it?" I sighed.

She nodded, "I do. They're going to love you. Maybe even more than Nash does."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Nash chuckled, walking over to us with the rest of the guys.

"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" I asked.

Ryan shrugged, "We prefer to call it unknowingly listening."

"So, are you gonna do it?" Ian asked hopefully.

I looked at them for a few seconds before sighing again, "Fine." They all cheered happily and Nash wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek.

"We should do a run through of the song then!" Ryan exclaimed, handing me his microphone. I shrugged, carefully setting my camera on the ground a few feet away and we began. We decided that Ryan and Ian would play guitar and Jamie would add drums, leaving Nash and I to focus on the words and each other.

"Should we keep rehearsing or do you think we're okay?" Ian asked after we finished the song.

"I think we should do one more," I said. They looked at me and I acted as serious as I could before starting to sing I Just Can't Wait to Be King from The Lion King. Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed, happily joining in.

~

After taking a few more shots during Taylor's sound check, I decided to go outside to get some photos of the venue's marquee before fans started arriving. I was about to walk back inside when someone grabbed my arm, spinning me around. I let out a loud squeak, regaining my balance before looking at who it was.

My eyes widened, "Jordan!"

"Danielle," he smirked, "We meet again."

"Okay," I said, already over whatever he was going to respond with, "The first time we ran into each other, I forgot you were with RCA. The second time was a little unnerving to say the least. Now, I'm just convinced you're stalking me."

"Oh, Danielle," he laughed, shaking his head, "I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out." I quickly glanced at the door, making a run for it. However, it didn't go the way I'd hoped. Jordan was quick to grab my waist and basically carry me away, so I did the only thing I could at that point.

And that was screaming, "Nash!"

-Nash-

I heard Danielle scream my name and ran outside to where she was just in time to watch Jordan put her back on her feet and raise his hand to hit her. I ran over to them as she braced herself, grabbing his wrist just before it reached her face. He looked at me wide-eyed, clearly startled I made it there that fast. Jamie rushed over to make sure Danielle was okay and take her back inside.

"Don't. Touch. Her," I growled slowly, pushing his arm back down to his side.

"I'm sure she must have told you by now," he smirked, "I already have."

I don't know what it was, but something inside me just snapped. I only meant to hit him once, but once turned into twice, then three times, then four and I couldn't stop myself.

I heard Danielle cry, "Ryan!" before I was being pulled off of Jordan.

"Nash!" Ryan said, "Nash! You need to stop!" As he was pulling me back inside, I noticed two security guards just standing near the door.

"You weren't even going to try to help her?!" I shouted at them.

"Nash!" Ryan repeated, taking me further into the venue, "You need to calm down!"

"I'm not gonna calm down, Ryan! That piece of shit almost hit her again and those assholes didn't do a god damn thing about it!"

"Wait," he froze in his spot, "What do you mean again?"

I coughed nervously, "She hasn't told you about that, has she?"

"No, but she's going to." He began walking to our dressing room, but I quickly stopped him.

"Ryan!" I exclaimed, "You can't just go in there and ask her in front of everyone! You have to wait until you have the chance to talk to her alone!"

He sighed, calming himself down, "Fine, but I want that time to be very soon." We continued to head for the dressing room and could hear Danielle talking to Jamie, Ian, Cameron, and Taylor.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. Please just let me do my job. I need to keep busy," she said unconvincingly.

Everyone looked behind her as we entered the room and she spun around, now staring at me. She let out a relieved breath and ran the short distance to me, jumping up and wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly and pressed my face against her neck, just happy she was safe.

~

-Danielle-

Right before the show, the girls came back from shopping and ran to me, pulling me into a tight group hug.

"What are you doing?" I asked slowly.

"Ryan told us what happened," Jenna replied.

I glared at him and he shouted, "They threatened to burn my bowties, what was I supposed to do?!" I rolled my eyes and looked back to everyone surrounding me.

"Uh, could you guys maybe back up a little?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah! Our bad!" they exclaimed, moving back a bit, giving me room to breathe.

"Are you okay?" Katia asked worriedly.

I sighed, speaking loudly so everyone in the room could hear me, "For the hundredth time, I'm fine! Can we please just move on with our lives now?" They looked at me, obviously unconvinced, but didn't press the issue any further.

~

15 minutes later, in the middle of the band's set, they were nearing the end of Bleed, which was my cue to start preparing myself. Nerves rushed throughout my body and I spun around to look at Taylor.

"I don't know if I can do this," I told her honestly.

"Yes," she said, "You can. I know it, they know it, and you do, too. You just don't want to admit it." She left the room and quickly came back with the girls and a microphone covered in glitter, much like her guitar, but was purple instead. I looked at her and she smiled, "We thought that since the song was officially on the set list, you would need your own mic."

I let out a breath and smiled back, "This is beautiful, guys. Thank you." I hugged them and we let go just in time to hear Ryan start the intro to Why Don't You Love Me.

"What do you say we do one more slow song?" he asked, to which the crowd cheered. "How many of you have heard of a song called Why Don't You Love Me?" About half of them screamed back in response, surprising me. "Good! We were thinking that our guitar player, Nash-" He smiled, pointing to him. "-and his girlfriend, the inspiration for the song, could sing it for you. How does that sound?" They screamed again and Ryan looked over at me, motioning for me to walk onstage as he announced my name.

I took a deep breath, holding my microphone tightly, and walked out. I quickly made my way over to Nash, who had now switched places with Ryan and was standing at the center microphone. The crowd screamed loudly and I smiled, giving them a small wave. I guess Nash could tell I was still nervous as Ryan and Ian started playing because he grabbed my hand, making me look up at him.

"Don't think about them," he said quietly, "I'm right here, okay?" I nodded slowly and he began singing.

See, I can't wake up  
I'm living a nightmare that keeps playing over again  
Locked in a room, so hung up on you  
And you're cool with just being friends

Left on the sidelines  
Stuck at a red light  
Waiting for my time  
And I can't see

Why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing  
Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need  
Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?

Nash kissed my forehead and for whatever reason, every nerve I had just seemed to disappear.

See, I'm just too scared to tell you the truth  
Cause my heartache can't take anymore  
Broken and bruised, longing for you  
And I don't know what I'm waiting for

Left on the sidelines  
Stuck at a red light  
Waiting for my time  
So just tell me

Why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing  
Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need  
Oh

Why don't you give me a reason?  
Please tell me the truth  
You know that I'll keep believing  
Till I'm with you

Why don't you love me? Kiss me  
I can feel your heart tonight, it's killing me

So why don't you love me? Touch me  
Tell me I'm your everything  
The air you're breathing  
Why don't you love me, baby?  
Open up your heart tonight  
Cause I could be all that you need  
Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?

Oh, why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?  
Why don't you love me?

That moment, while the crowd was cheering as loudly as they possibly could, was the moment I decided that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

~

Title/song used: "Let Her Go" by Passenger  
Other song used: "Why Don't You Love Me" by Hot Chelle Rae ft Demi Lovato


	35. Just Keep Breathing

-Nash-

We had the next three days off, so we all decided to go to the park near our hotel and hang out.

After about an hour, Danielle ran back to the hotel to get her guitar and I met her under one of the trees near the playground. We'd been wanting to write a song together for a while, but were never able to actually find the time to do it. We thought since we finally had a couple days of free time, we would see if we could come up with anything.

We managed to write the lyrics in under half an hour, which was a new record for me – although I'm sure it wasn't for her. She began strumming random chords and within another hour, the entire song was almost finished. She sang the second verse quietly and then looked at me and said something.

"Huh?" I asked, suddenly coming back to reality. I'll admit, I wasn't really paying attention to what she said. Her voice always had that effect on me.

She sighed, but smiled, "I said after we come up with the bridge, I think we're done with the song."

"Okay..." I paused to think for a moment, "What about 'Need me the way that I need you. Kiss me the way that I kiss you recklessly. Give me everything, baby.'?"

"I love it!" she exclaimed, "Now we just have to put it all together!"

"Will you sing it?"

"Are you actually going to listen this time?" she giggled.

"I make no promises," I grinned, kissing her cheek.

She rolled her eyes and laughed quietly, "Go get everyone because I know they're gonna hear it and I'm not singing it twice." I chuckled, standing up and walking the short distance to the picnic table where we had lunch to get the rest of the group.

"Hey, guys," I said as I walked up to them, "Danielle's about to sing the song we wrote if you wanna come listen."

"Finally!" Maren screamed, jumping up and running to Danielle.

"We thought you'd never finish!" Caity shouted, following closely behind her.

"You can tell which of us have never written a song before," Ryan chuckled, taking Jenna's hand and pulling her up as Jamie did with Katia.

"Ah, the songwriters have finally decided to join us," Danielle smirked as we made our way back to her.

"Rude," Caity pouted, pushing her shoulder.

"When you write a song in less than 10 minutes, get back to me," she teased. I shook my head and laughed, sitting in front of her. She took the notebook I had written the lyrics in and set it in my lap.

"Do I look like your music stand?" I joked.

"Unless you have one hidden in your pocket, yes," she smiled sweetly, leaning forward and giving me a quick kiss before she began playing her guitar quietly and telling the group, "This isn't by any means an official thing, so if you think there's anything we need to change, let us know." They agreed and she started playing a bit louder.

I'm so obsessed, don't care how dumb I look  
You must be bad cause you make me feel good  
The more I'm with you, the more I'm hooked  
Oh, yeah

Tonight, I've gotta confess the way you look in this light  
I can't catch my breath  
Feels like my world is on fire; It burns in my chest  
Tell me you feel it too

We've got nothing to lose

Just touch me the way that I touch you  
Love me the way that I love you recklessly  
Give me everything, baby

Touch me the way that I touch you  
Love me the way that I love you recklessly  
Give me everything

I'm trying to wake up and be beside you  
Been acting crazy, so what if that's true?  
You got me doing things I don't do  
Oh, yeah

Tonight, I've gotta confess the way you look in this light  
I can't catch my breath  
Feels like my world is on fire; It burns in my chest  
Tell me you feel it too

We've got nothing to lose

Just touch me the way that I touch you  
Love me the way that I love you recklessly  
Give me everything, baby

Touch me the way that I touch you  
Love me the way that I love you recklessly  
Give me everything

All I want is you and me, I want you recklessly  
I need you next to me tonight  
All I want is you and me, I want you recklessly  
I need you next to me tonight

Need me the way that I need you  
Kiss me the way that I kiss you recklessly  
Give me everything, baby

Touch me the way that I touch you  
Love me the way that I love you recklessly  
Give me everything

All I want is you and me, I want you recklessly  
I need you next to me tonight  
All I want is you and me, I want you recklessly  
I need you next to me tonight

"That was amazing!" Jenna exclaimed, throwing her arms around Danielle.

"Seriously," Ryan chuckled, patting my back, "I don't care whose album this goes on, but it needs to go on one of them."

"Don't look at me," Danielle laughed, "I'm no where near ready for making an album."

Katia pushed her lightly, "Please! This is like, the sixth song you've written!"

"All you would need is five more at the most," Ian added.

"What ever happened to that band we were gonna form?" she remarked.

"You're too famous for us now," Caity sighed.

"I wouldn't go that far," Danielle giggled, shaking her head.

"I think you should be a solo artist," Jenna told her.

"Seriously?" she asked, obviously in shock.

"Well, why not?" she shrugged.

"I just... We planned on being in a band. I would feel bad going into this business without you guys..."

Katia smiled, "We're still gonna be there with you. We could play the instruments on albums and tours and stuff, we just won't be in photoshoots and things like that."

"But I-"

"No," Caity cut her off, "You're doing it."

"RCA might sign you," Ryan suggested, trying to lighten the mood, "We can discuss it with them after the tour." She simply sighed, knowing she wasn't able to convince us otherwise.

~

A little while later, the guys and I wanted to go play a game of soccer while the girls decided to sit and watch.

After a game, we sat down and rested. We noticed two girls around 4 and 15 staring at us not far away from where we were.

"I think we've got ourselves a couple fans," Ryan chuckled as a girl who looked about the same age as Danielle grabbed the girls' hands and start pulling them toward us.

"Hi," the girl smiled, "Sorry about my sisters. They're really big fans. I mean, I am too, but I'm slightly better at controlling myself."

Ian laughed, "It's nice to meet you guys! What are your names?"

"I'm Alyssa. This is Leah-" She nodded down to the little girl before the older one, "-and this is Maddie." Leah whispered something in Alyssa's ear and Alyssa replied, "I'm sure they would, but you have to ask them." She looked up at us nervously and started playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Will you take a picture with us?" she asked quietly.

"Of course we will!" Ryan smiled. Alyssa pulled out her phone as the guys and I stood between them. She took the picture and Maddie rushed over to her, whispering in Alyssa's ear as well. It was actually adorable how nervous she was.

Alyssa shook her head, "Madison, you're 15-years-old. If you want to know, you have to ask." Maddie let out a frustrated sigh before looking at me.

"Is Danielle here too?" she asked, almost whispering.

I smiled at her before turning my head and shouting Danielle's name. She looked over at me and I motioned for her to come to us. She set her guitar down and, along with the rest of the girls, walked over.

"What's up?" she asked as I laid my arm across her shoulders.

"Someone wanted to meet you," I chuckled, introducing her to Maddie and her sisters.

She smiled, "Hi!"

Maddie's mood quickly changed from being nervous to being overwhelmed as she hugged Danielle tightly. We looked at her worried – she wasn't really the type of person who liked to be hugged by people she didn't know – but she wrapped her arms around Maddie as well.

"She's had a rough time with guys and just life in general lately," Alyssa explained. "I honestly believe you're helping her get through it," she said, looking at Danielle, making her smile and hug her tighter. She moved her hands to Maddie's shoulders and pushed back to look at her.

"I am so proud of you," she told her, "I know it may not seem like it now and it won't happen overnight, but I promise you, it will get better." Maddie smiled and nodded slightly and Danielle hugged her again.

"Are you guys coming to the show on Friday?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, no," Alyssa smiled sadly, "We wanted to, but we really can't afford it right now."

"That is not the answer I wanted to hear," Danielle shook her head, "Come stop by the venue at around 5 and we can hang out after our soundcheck."

"Are... Are you sure?"

"Yup!" she smiled. The girls thanked her and gave us all hugs before leaving.

"Danielle," Jamie said, the confusion very apparent in his voice, "Soundcheck starts at 5."

"I know," she smirked, walking back to get her guitar and going back to the hotel.

~

Over the next three days, we hadn't really seen much of Danielle. Of course, this would be cause for concern to most people, but not for us. She always preferred to be alone when she was trying to write a more serious song. The next time we saw her properly was right when we had to leave for soundcheck.

"This must be a really good song if you were working on it for three days," Ryan commented as we piled into our rental car.

Danielle smiled widely, "I'm pretty proud of it. And before any of you ask: No, you can't hear it yet."

"When will we hear it though?" Katia pouted.

"Soon enough," she teased.

~

We arrived at the venue and had run through our first song when Jenna came running into the room, "They're here!"

"Bring them in, silly!" Danielle exclaimed. Jenna came back with Alyssa, Maddie, and Leah just a few moments later.

"I thought you said soundcheck ended at 5? We're not early, are we?" Alyssa asked nervously.

"Yeah, I might have lied about that," Danielle shrugged, "Soundcheck started at 5. But I have exciting news!"

"What?" Leah squealed, making us all laugh.

"I talked to Taylor and she said she would be more than happy to give you guys backstage passes for the show tonight!"

"Seriously?" Maddie's jaw dropped.

"Seriously!" she squeaked, "But you have to be okay with me filming you guys as part of her tour diary."

"Of course!" Alyssa gasped, "Thank you so much!" We finished the rest of sound check and the girls met Taylor before the show was about to start.

~

We finished our set, going backstage to the girls and laughing as they sang and danced along to Taylor's songs.

About halfway through her set, she began talking to the audience again.

"Now, this is usually the point in the show where you would all get to take a breather while I go change outfits, but we thought we would do a little something special for you all tonight. I'm sure you all know who this girl is by now and if you don't, well, you're going to," she smiled, "You already met her earlier when she and the boys in Hot Chelle Rae performed Why Don't You Love Me: Please help me welcome Danielle Myers!"

We all watched in confusion as Danielle walked out on stage with her guitar and microphone, hugging Taylor before she went off to change. She slid her microphone into the stand and moved her guitar from behind her back.

"Hey, guys!" she smiled as the crowd screamed. "Before I get started, I just wish you all could see everyone at the side of the stage right now because they look so confused," she laughed, "To give Taylor the maximum amount of time possible to get changed, I'm going to perform three songs for you guys, is that cool?" They screamed again and she continued, "Alright, if any of you have ever heard any song I've written, I want you to just yell it as loud as you possibly can." The majority of the people who'd heard her songs shouted Honestly, so that was what she sang for them.

When she finished singing, she went on, "For the second song, I wanted to do a cover, so I decided on a song that's very special to me by one of my favorite bands. How many of you have heard Therapy by All Time Low?" The venue erupted in screams and she smiled again, starting the song.

My ship went down in a sea of sound  
When I woke up alone, I had everything  
A handful of moments I wished I could change  
And a tongue like a nightmare that cut like a blade

In a city of fools, I was careful and cool  
But they tore me apart like a hurricane  
A handful of moments I wished I could change  
But I was carried away

Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty  
But I'm smiling at everything  
Therapy, you were never a friend to me  
And you can keep all your misery

My lungs gave out as I faced the crowd  
I think that keeping this up could be dangerous  
I'm flesh and bone, I'm a rolling stone  
And the experts say I'm delirious

Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty  
But I'm smiling at everything  
Therapy, you were never a friend to me  
You can take back your misery

Arrogant boy  
Love yourself so no one has to  
They're better off without you  
They're better off without you

Arrogant boy  
Cause a scene like you're supposed to  
They'll fall asleep without you  
You're lucky if your memory remains

Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty  
But I'm smiling at everything  
Therapy, you were never a friend to me  
You can take back your misery

Therapy, I'm a walking travesty  
But I'm smiling at everything  
Therapy, you were never a friend to me  
And you can choke on your misery

"For this last song," she said when the screaming died down, "I kinda wanted to do something more serious. I've been working on this for about five months now, but only really had inspiration for the lyrics throughout the past three days. On Tuesday, I had my first interaction with a fan – not one of the guys' fans, but mine – and I wrote these lyrics for her." We looked at Maddie and she had her head on Alyssa's shoulder, obviously trying not to cry. "But this song is dedicated to everyone that ever feels like they aren't good enough. Like everything they do goes unnoticed. Like their road to recovery seems as though it will never end. Whether you walk out of this stadium a fan of mine or not, I want you to know that I'm proud of you for having the courage to get out of bed and face every single day. Nothing I say can prepare someone for what life will throw at them, but whether it's one person or 10,000, I want you to know you're not alone." She smiled and began the song.

When heaven seems so far away  
And dreams are just a memory  
Without the dark, the light won't show  
Remember that you're not alone

When you watch the world just turn away  
And break the promises it made  
When love is all too hard to hold  
Just take a breath and let it go

Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

2am, too tired to sleep  
When what you want's not what you need  
And when these walls don't feel like home  
Remember that you're not alone

The beginning's just another end  
It's not too late to start again  
When hope is all too hard to hold  
Just take a breath and let it go

Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

When heaven seems so far away  
And dreams are just a memory  
When love is all so hard to hold  
Just take a breath and let it

Go, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Whoa, whoa  
Just keep breathing, breathing, breathing

~

Title/song used: "Just Keep Breathing" by We The Kings  
Other songs used: "Recklessly" by Hot Chelle Rae  
"Therapy" by All Time Low


	36. We've Got Nothing to Lose

-Ryan-

*Two months later; After touring ends*

"They probably already have too many artists on the label," Danielle squeaked, "They're gonna reject me so I'm just gonna go home. I'll see y'all later." She spun around, only to run into Ian and have him turn her back toward the building we were walking into.

"See, I knew you were going to try to get out of it," Ian chuckled, keeping a firm grip on her shoulders, "That's why I'm walking behind everyone." She sighed as we entered the CEO's office.

"Morning, Peter!" I chirped as we sat down.

"Morning, boys," he smiled, looking up from his paperwork, "Oh, and Danielle. My apologies."

She smiled slightly and gave him a quiet, "Hi."

"So," he set his pen down and gave us his full attention, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"We were curious as to how one would go about being signed to the label," Nash replied casually.

"You boys were signing to the label at one point, you know," he chuckled.

"Yeah, but it was so long ago," Ian laughed, "We barely remember the procedures."

"Well, we could get into talk of procedures and all that," he said, "Or we get straight to discussing the contract I've already written up."

"Wait, what?" Danielle asked, finally stopping chewing on her fingernails.

The guys and I snickered as Peter smiled, patting the stack of papers on his desk, "The boys already discussed the situation with me and I wanted to write up a contract specifically for you."

"There's nothing hidden in the contract that will make me despise everything about this label, is there?"

"For my sake, I certainly hope not," he chuckled, "The contract just states that you are signed to this label until two weeks after the release of your album and will be renewed should you choose to stay with us."

"You need that much paper to say that?" she asked, confused.

"Well, there's also legal things in here."

"Such as...?"

"Copyright laws and ownership, pay – things like that."

"So copyright and ownership means..."

"We – the label that is – own the rights to the album and singles as a whole, but not to the things you've written for them."

"How about the percentage of earnings from those things?"

"Artists typically make about 20% for every single and album sold."

"So what you're saying is if this album doesn't sell, I'm screwed?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Peter shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I wouldn't put it exactly like that, but pretty much, yes."

"No pressure," she sighed to herself, leaning back in her chair.

"So what do you say?" I asked carefully.

"I don't know, Ryan," she mumbled, "I don't want to put myself out there with the possibility that no one will like what I do. That's like inviting people to make fun of me for thinking I had a chance in this business..."

Nash stood up and knelt down in front of her, "Do you remember when we were on Taylor's tour and you asked the crowd who'd heard any of your songs?" She nodded and he continued, "And how many people screamed?"

"Almost half," she answered quietly, looking down.

"Almost half of the crowd at a sold out show have heard and clearly love what you do and that was just in one city," he took her face in his hands and made her look back up at him, "If you don't do this for that reason, at least do it for people like Maddie." He kissed her forehead and sat back down as she bit her lip nervously.

After a few moments of watching her and waiting for a reaction, she sighed and said, "Give me a pen." Our smiles widened as Peter handed her a pen and she stood up to sign her contract.

She put the pen down and Peter stood up, extending his arm to her, "Welcome aboard." She shook his hand and the guys and I cheered, jumping up and hugging her tightly, causing her to finally break a smile.

~

After discussing things like recording times and photo shoots and whatnot, we were finally able to go home.

"Let's go celebrate!" Jamie grinned, throwing his arm around Danielle as we walked out of the building. She simply smiled, wrapping her own arm around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Where do you wanna go?" Ian asked her.

She shrugged, "I'd rather just order pizza and watch a movie, to be honest."

"Pizza and a movie it is," I grinned as we piled into the car. Jamie called a pizza place on the way back home so it would hopefully be there not long after we got back.

The rest of the girls met us in Nash and Danielle's apartment where we told them the news. They were, of course, excited, already talking about how much fun it would be to tour.

Not long after we finished eating and the movie was over, everyone was starting to get tired – aside from Danielle who passed out halfway through the movie.

~

-Danielle-

*A week later*

Graduation. That feels so weird to say; I'm finally graduating. My school was surprisingly okay with me being gone for two months. Apparently, they agreed that having the opportunity to take photos and film a tour diary for a famous singer would be good for college applications as well.

~

I was pacing around while the rest of the seniors were waiting for graduation to start.

"Would you stop being so nervous?" my friend laughed.

Lindsay was the only friend I made when I switched schools. I could never figure out why no one liked me, but it never really bothered me since I would only be there for a year anyway. I was grateful for Lindsay though. She made the past year a lot more bearable than it would have been if I had no one.

"Linds, I'm a worrier; It's what I do," I chuckled.

"The more you worry, the more likely things are to go wrong."

I rolled my eyes, "Calm down, Aristotle."

"You did learn something!" she teased, causing me to stick my tongue out at her. She looked behind me and smiled, "There's my cue to leave. I'll see you in a few!" She walked away as I turned around to see Nash and everyone else coming into the room.

"Hey, guys!" I smiled as Nash wrapped his arms around me, "What are you doing back here?"

"Well, we figured you were probably freaking out, so we brought some people who could hopefully calm you down," Jamie smiled. Before I could ask what he meant, I watched as my mom and dad walked through the door. I gasped, running over to them and hugging them.

"What are you- How did you even get here?!" I asked.

"They flew us out," my dad chuckled.

"Wait," I laughed, looking at my mom, "You got on an airplane?"

She shrugged, "I didn't have to pay for it."

"You bought their plane tickets?" I asked, turning to look at everyone.

"We can afford it," Ryan laughed.

"And that's not even the best part!" Katia squealed in excitement, bouncing in her spot.

"There something better than flying my parents out here?" Nash smiled, pulling his phone out of his pocket and standing behind me, holding it in front of us. "MacKenzie!" I squealed when I saw he was on FaceTime.

"Hi, Danielle!" he grinned, "Congratulations on making it through high school!" He was walking down a hallway, so I figured he had somewhere to be – which made it that much more special knowing he was still taking the time to congratulate me on graduating.

"Thank you," I smiled, "It was tough without you, but I made it!"

"Try not to trip and fall on stage," he smirked.

My eyes widened, "Don't say things like that!" We all laughed and I sighed, "I wish you could be here."

"I know," he smiled slightly, "Which is why I'd like for you to turn around." I spun back toward the door, screaming and running over, throwing my arms around MacKenzie's neck and hugging him tightly.

"You didn't think I was going to miss my best friend's graduation, did you?" he teased when I finally stopped choking him.

"But I missed yours," I pouted guiltily.

"You're busy making an album," he laughed, "I think I can make an exception." I gave him a look and turned to Nash, raising my eyebrows. He looked back at me for a moment before caving.

"I didn't mean to!" he exclaimed, "It just came out!" I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly before facing MacKenzie again.

"Does anyone miss me? Please tell me people miss me," I begged, "Everyone but one person at this school hates me."

"Uh..."

"I wish I were surprised by that," I giggled.

"Actually, Noah does ask about you a lot," he told me.

I scrunched my face a bit, "Why?"

"Wants to know if you're still with 'your one-night stand' or whatever."

"Yes!" I laughed, "And I have been for almost a year! Longest night of my life!"

"I love you too," Nash laughed. I jokingly blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket, winking, "I'll save that for later." I rolled my eyes and laughed again.

"How long are you here?" I asked MacKenzie.

"I'm here for the next week," he smiled.

"We definitely have to write a song together!"

"I would love to!" he said happily. I squeaked quietly, clapping my hands like a little kid whose mom let them get a candy bar at the store.

Mr. Miller – our principle – walked into the room and told us that we had 5 minutes before the ceremony started, so I gave everyone a hug and they left to go to their seats. Lindsay made her way back over to me and everyone got in line in alphabetical order. Luckily, mine and Lindsay's last names were close together so we were able to sit beside each other.

~

The ceremony started and went on for about 45 minutes before they started handing our diplomas. Our senior class was pretty big, so it took a while until my name was called.

"Danielle Nicole Myers," Mr. Miller announced and I walked across the stage.

I couldn't help but smile when I heard Katia and Jenna cheer loudly, soon followed by the rest of the group. I took my diploma and shook Mr. Miller's hand, letting out a sigh of relief as I walked off the stage, beyond excited to be done with high school.

~

Title: "Recklessly" by Hot Chelle Rae


	37. You're Just a Daydream Away

-Danielle-

"Wait, wait, wait. MTV wants to do a show about me?" I asked. I was beyond confused, but with good reason. I was just signed to the label and only graduated high school and not even a week ago and now MTV, one of the most popular television shows ever, wanted to do a show about me?

"Yes," Zach nodded simply. The label decided that since Zach was one of the people who had spent the most time with me and had a music style pretty similar to Hot Chelle Rae that he would be my manager as well.

"Why me though?"

"They want to do a documentary type series on an artist during the making of their album and since your album is the label's most recent project, they've asked if you would be interested in being filmed for the show," he explained.

"Oh my God," I nodded quickly, "I would love to!"

He smiled, "Awesome! I'll let them know! They should be at your place by 11 tomorrow."

"Thank you, Zach!" I shouted as I ran out of the office.

~

I drove home as quickly as I could without getting into any trouble and parked in my usual spot before running to the back of the building where everyone was hanging out around the fire pit.

"Hey!" Nash said cheerfully as soon as he saw me, "How did-"

I cut him off, too excited to let him finish as I came to an abrupt stop in front in everyone, screaming, "MTV wants to do a show about me!"

"Are you serious?!" Katia yelled happily.

"Yes!" I squealed, "They want to a documentary kinda thing while an artist records their album and they picked me!"

"Danielle, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Ian grinned, getting up and hugging me tightly, quickly followed by everyone else as they joined together for a group hug.

"Thanks, guys," I smiled, "And you do realize that you're all going to be part of the show, right?"

"No, we're not!" they shouted in unison.

"Yes, you are!" I mocked. "It is pretty much just a reality show and you guys are a part of my reality," I laughed, "Make sure you're up by 11 tomorrow because that's when the crew is supposed to be here!"

~

The next morning, the camera crew showed up at our apartment and got right to filming. Nash left for a band meeting about half an hour later, so we took the opportunity to do a one-on-one interview. I led Angie and Jared – the producer and cameraman who would be with Nash and I throughout filming – to the studio we made out of the guest bedroom.

"And Nash built this?" Angie asked after the camera had been set up.

"We both did," I nodded, "He said wanted a little studio here because he prefers to work from home, but I know it's really because he hates leaving the comfort of knowing the food isn't so bad," I giggled quietly, shaking my head.

"What about you?"

I shrugged, "I'm sure he hates leaving me too, but he knows that I like to be alone sometimes, so I don't look too much into it. Plus, I tend to write better when no one is around."

She simply nodded and changed the subject, "Alright, why don't we start with your introduction and go from there?"

"My name is Danielle Myers, I'm 18-years-old, and I was born in Nashville, Tennessee and raised in a small town in Southwestern Indiana you've never heard of," I shrugged a little, smiling.

"Tell me how you met everyone."

"Well, Jamie and Ryan are my cousins and I moved back to Tennessee to live with them to kinda get used to Nashville before college. I met Jenna and Katia on the plane there, Caity and Maren when I started school, and Nash, Ian, and Cameron are part of the band and crew, so I guess the rest is history."

"The guys have been getting more popular since the release of Tonight Tonight, would you say the popularity has put a strain on any of you in any way?"

"Oh, absolutely not," I shook my head, "They love what they do and so do the other girls and I. They've worked so hard to get to this point and I don't think they can ever see themselves doing anything but this. I'm sure they'll stop touring one day, but I don't think they'll ever stop making music."

"Now, I hear you have a musical background as well which has pretty much led up to this moment in your life. Why don't you tell me about that?"

"I would hardly say I have a background in music," I laughed, "I've always loved singing, but until I met these guys, I never really considered a career with it."

"So what changed your mind?"

"The first time I ever sang in front of people was when I realized I loved to perform, but I recently sang Why Don't You Love Me with Nash on Taylor Swift's tour and I met a fan of mine during it as well and I think those moments were what really made me want to pursue a career with it."

We talked for a little while longer before Nash came home. We didn't do much after that, to be honest, we really just ate and watched TV. There was a release party for Hot Chelle Rae's newest album that we would be going to in a couple days and we didn't really want to do anything too crazy.

~

*The next day*

"I'll be back later," I told Nash and Ryan, "Don't get into too much trouble. I don't feel like hiding any bodies."

"I can't believe that after all this time, you don't trust us to be alone," Ryan gasped.

"Oh, I trust you alone, just not when you're alone together," I teased.

I kissed Nash's cheek and was about to head to the studio with Angie, Jared, and a second cameraman named Michael when Ryan exclaimed, "I don't even get a goodbye?!"

"I love you, Ryan!" I laughed, closing the door behind me.

~

When we got to the studio, I met Justin – the audio engineer who would be working with me on the album – in the lobby and he led me to the room where we would be writing and recording. We walked into the room and I saw MacKenzie already sitting there, patiently waiting for me. I squealed in excitement as he smiled, standing up and giving me a hug.

"This is Angie, Jared, and Michael, the people from MTV I told you about," I introduced him. He gave me a look and I looked at Angie, Jared, and Michael, motioning to MacKenzie and rolling my eyes, "This is my best friend in the entire world, MacKenzie Bourg." He smiled victoriously as he shook their hands.

"Do you think it would be possible for us to get a quick interview before you two start writing?" Angie asked him. He looked at me and I nodded, chuckling.

"I have a couple songs to record, so go right ahead," I smiled, "I'm sure I'll be done by the time you get back."

"Michael," Angie said, "Make sure you get some shots while she's inside the recording booth." He nodded quickly and they left the room as I trotted over to Justin.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded. "What song do you want to record first?"

I thought for a moment, "Let's do Just Keep Breathing."

"Alright," he smiled, "Head on in there."

"I'm not too close, am I?" Michael asked nervously as he stood beside me.

"First day on the job?" I chuckled, picking up my headphones and putting them on.

"Yeah..." he trailed off quietly.

"You're fine," I smiled, "I'm no stranger to cameras."

Justin hit play on the track that was just me playing guitar – as were the rest of the songs since the girls hadn't been able to record their part since they were still learning them.

~

After I finished, went back in and listened to the playback so we could decide where harmonies would go and whatnot. After that was decided, I recorded harmonies and listened to the playback again.

"That's beautiful," I grinned widely, giving him a high five, "We must take a selfie to celebrate!" He simply laughed as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture, posting it to Twitter.

@MissDanielle137: Just finished recording the first song for the album. But like, it's no big deal. #JustKeepBreathing

After tweeting, I went back into the recording booth and we did main vocals for Fall For You and Honestly.

-MacKenzie-

We went to the room directly across the hall and sat down at the table, getting right to the interview.

"Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us how you know Danielle?" Angie said when we got settled.

"Well, I'm MacKenzie Bourg. I met Danielle a little less than two years ago when she started going to my school back in Tennessee and we've been best friends ever since," I answered, smiling.

"How well do you think this album will do?"

"I think it's going to raise the bar for any albums released after it," I answered honestly, "It could be three months or two years or now, but she's not going to stop until she's absolutely 100% in love with it. I think what I admire most about her is her dedication. She puts every ounce of-" I paused, trying to find the right word, "-passion she has into her songs. I'm excited to be able to write with her. I don't know what kind of direction we're going to go as of right now whether it's a love song or an angry kind of song or just a song you can't help but dance to, but I know that whatever it is, it's going to be amazing because she's an amazing songwriter." I smiled and we continued with the interview for a couple more minutes before going back and watching Danielle finish recording.

~

-Danielle-

While we were writing, I snuck a picture of MacKenzie as he was strumming his guitar and writing notes on the sheet music in front of him. He looked up when my phone made the capture sound and I tossed it on the table, raising my eyebrows at him.

"What?" I asked innocently.

He chuckled before turning his attention back to the papers scattered in front of him, "I'm about to get a Twitter notification, aren't I?"

"You know," I squeaked, picking up my phone and opening Twitter, "There are some things in life that are insignificant and shouldn't be worried about."

@MissDanielle137: Life currently @bourgmackenzie

As soon as I sent the tweet, his phone vibrated on the table. He looked at me again, obviously trying not to smile as I did the same.

"Wasn't me," I shrugged.

He looked at his phone, "That looks an awful lot like your Twitter handle to me."

"Must be someone pretending to be me."

"See, that would be believable if it weren't for the fact that this photo is of this room, I'm in the exact clothes I'm wearing now, my guitar is still in my lap, and it was taken from right where you're sitting."

I gasped, "I am deeply hurt by these outrageous accusations!"

He chuckled again, shaking his head, "Get back to writing, missy."

"You're so controlling," I sighed dramatically.

"Someone's gotta keep you in line," he laughed, winking at me.

A few minutes later, I got a Twitter notification from MacKenzie. I raised my eyebrows at him and he shrugged, looking away. I opened Twitter and the first tweet I saw was his with a photo of me attached to it.

@bourgmackenzie: Writing session with the prettiest person I know. And look! @MissDanielle137 is here too!

I laughed loudly, "You're such a dick."

"But you love me," he smiled sweetly.

"That doesn't mean you're not a dick," I giggled, sticking my tongue out at him before we got back to writing.

~

Around two hours later, we had finally finished the song and it was time to record. We recorded the instrumental – we decided to keep this song acoustic – and listened to playback before I grabbed MacKenzie's hand and pulled him to the recording booth. I could tell he was about to ask what was going on, so I told him before he could.

"You didn't think we were going to write a song for my album and not sing on it together, did you?" I grinned. He simply chuckled and shrugged in response.

We decided that since it was my album, I would sing the first verse, he would sing the second verse and add harmonies during the chorus, and we would just sing together for the rest of it. We put our headphones on and Justin started the track.

I wish you could see your face right now  
Cause you're grinning like a fool  
And we're sitting on your kitchen floor  
On a Tuesday afternoon

It doesn't matter when we get back  
To doing what we do  
Cause right now could last forever  
Just as long as I'm with you

You're just a daydream away  
I wouldn't know what to say if I had you  
And I'll keep you a daydream away  
Just to watch from a safe place   
So I never have to lose

We would go out on the weekend  
To escape our busy lives  
And we'd laugh at all the douchebag guys  
Chasing down their desperate wives

I would drink a little too much  
And you would offer me a ride  
And I would offer you a t-shirt  
And you would stay another night

But you're just a daydream away  
I wouldn't know what to say if I had you  
And I'll keep you a daydream away  
Just to watch from a safe place   
So I never have to lose

We never stood a chance out there  
Shooting love in real-time  
So we'll take it over ice tonight  
With a little salt and a little lime

You're just a daydream away  
I wouldn't know what to say if I had you  
And I'll keep you a daydream away  
Just to watch from a safe place   
So I never have to lose

You're just a daydream away  
I wouldn't know what to say if I had you

~

"You should come back to my place so we can play the song for everyone!" I hinted hopefully as MacKenzie and I left the studio a while later.

"Is it because you don't want them to bother you about playing it every day until it airs on the show?" he chuckled, shaking his head.

"You know me so well," I sighed. Angie, Jared, and Michael got into my car with me while MacKenzie followed me in his own.

~

Once we arrived back home, we grabbed our guitars out of our trunks and I led them to the back of the building where everyone was sitting around a bonfire.

"I come bearing an exciting surprise!" I announced as soon I turned the corner. We made our way over to them and everyone happily greeted MacKenzie as well as Angie, Jared, and Michael.

"Does this surprise involve the song you two wrote today?" Nash asked, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

"Well, it's not a surprise anymore," I frowned, wiggling out of his grasp and sitting on an empty log by the fire. Nash grinned, sitting to my right and MacKenzie sat to my left.

"We hope you guys like this because we've already recorded it and it's officially on the album, so there's really no going back," MacKenzie chuckled and we started playing.

~

After we played the song for everyone, Jenna jokingly asked, "So who did you write that about?"

"Demi Lovato," I sighed dramatically, earning a confused look from everyone aside from MacKenzie who looked like he was about to implode from holding in his laughter. "I only hope I can be as hot as her one day."

"Babe-" Nash started before I cut him off.

"Don't say anything," I said, holding my index finger to his lips, "Because I know the next thing out of your mouth is gonna be a lie."

"You are as hot as her," he smiled.

"Called it," I sang, taking my finger away from his mouth.

~

*The next day; Right before the release party*

I looked in the mirror and quietly said to my reflection, "Well, Danielle. This is about as good as it's gonna get." I sighed, grabbing my bag from it's spot on the bed before looking at myself again, fixing my dress, and walking out into the living room where everyone was waiting.

"Whoa," Nash whispered, probably hoping it was quiet enough that I couldn't hear him. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, "You look gorgeous." I smiled shyly, quietly thanking him and we set off for the party.

~

Nothing too exciting had happened thus far; Just a lot of congratulating and explaining why cameras were following us around which resulted in even more congratulating.

"Thank you," I smiled after being congratulated for what seemed like the thousandth time after telling someone about my signing.

"Are you okay?" Nash whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist as the person walked away.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I just... This is your night and people should be focusing on you and not why there are cameras here and I just feel bad, I guess."

He chuckled, squeezing me lightly, "Babe, we're all happy for you. Getting a record deal and a TV show is a big deal, we can't just pretend it's not happening!"

"I know, but-"

"No buts! We're here to enjoy the night and party on the rooftop!" I looked down, attempting not to smile at his Tonight Tonight reference, but failing miserably. "I knew that would get you," he smiled proudly, kissing my cheek, "Come on! Let's go dance!"

"You can," I told him, "I just want to sit down for a bit. My feet are killing me."

"Then why did you wear heels?" he laughed.

"Because they're cute! But I forgot to break them in, so now they're hurting my feet," I giggled. "I'll be fine. Now go party on the rooftop," I teased, kissing his cheek before he walked to where Ryan, Jamie, and Ian were on the dance floor with the rest of the girls. "Whatchya doing over here, Montgomery?" I asked, plopping onto the barstool beside Cameron.

"Not really much of a dancer. What about you? You're always dancing," he chuckled.

"Heels," I laughed quietly.

"Say no more," he grinned, "You know what I don't get?" I looked at him as if to tell him to continue and he did, "Why do girls wear heels? Like, they don't seem the least bit comfortable and it looks like they really hurt your ankle walking on the front of your feet all night."

"They're not so bad once you get used to them," I shrugged.

"You mean once you become numb to the pain?"

"Basically," I answered. We laughed and I saw him look behind me and his smile turned into an almost shocked yet confused expression.

-Cameron-

"Cam, are you okay?" Danielle asked slowly before turning around to see what I was looking at. When she did, her mouth dropped open as she saw Natalie with her arms latched around Nash's waist. "Are you fucking serious right now?!" she shouted, pulling off her shoes and throwing them on the ground, rushing over to where they were on the dance floor with me not far behind. Much to my relief – and I'm sure hers as well – Nash hadn't stopped trying to get Natalie off of him since the moment he realized it wasn't Danielle.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Danielle yelled, stopping abruptly about three feet away from them, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at us.

"I'm at a party with my date, silly!" she grinned evilly.

"He is not your date," she growled at her, "And you've got three seconds to let go of him before I rip you apart."

"You wouldn't do that with all these people and cameras around, would you?" Natalie smirked, still holding onto Nash.

"Try me," Danielle muttered through clenched teeth.

"Game on," Natalie said and, in an attempt to call her bluff, began leaning in what seemed like slow motion toward Nash to kiss him and that's when all hell broke loose. I grabbed Danielle's waist just as she began lunging toward Natalie.

"Cameron!" she yelled, "Let go!"

Obviously, I didn't. I knew what was going to happen if I did and I didn't want her to be put in jail for assault or anything of the sort. Nash instantly slapped his free hand over Natalie's mouth just before she reached his lips and pushed her back.

"Don't you wanna kiss me, babe?" she pouted.

"Don't call him that!" Danielle screamed, still struggling to get out of my grasp.

"No, I don't," Nash told her, "Because I'm not a cheater."

"Really?" she laughed, "Because that's not what I remember."

"Maybe that's because you drugged him," Danielle sneered. Although she had calmed down slightly when she realized I wasn't going to let go, I still held onto her just in case Natalie tried to push her buttons even more.

"What?" she gasped, still managing to keep her lies going, "I would never!"

"The great thing about being with someone for a year is that you learn things about them. And what I've learned about Nash is that no matter how much he drinks the night before, he will always remember what he did when he wakes up the next morning."

"So?" she laughed, "It's not like you can prove it."

"That's a funny story actually," Danielle laughed in the same tone, "We called his brother and he seemed to have the same symptoms; Nausea, dizziness, headache. I gotta give you credit for it though – drugging both of them so neither of them would remember you? Genius. Probably would have worked too if it weren't for the fact that Chord watched you do it. He told the bartender, of course, but you were gone with the half-filled glasses before they could even blink. They turned around and went back to their conversation. And why wouldn't they? Their drinks were exactly how they left them, weren't they?" You could tell Natalie was becoming nervous the longer Danielle talked when she finally let go of Nash. "Nope," Danielle shook her head, "They weren't the same – because you snuck behind them while they were talking to the bartender and you switched their drinks to look exactly the way they looked when they took their eyes off of them and you waited for the drugs to kick in before pretending that you were my friend so Chord would leave and you could take Nash home. You drove him home in his car, you took him to the bedroom, and you walked out right after I'd gotten home and let me believe he cheated on me. Didn't you?" Natalie remained silent, but it was painfully obvious everything that was said was dead on. "Didn't you?!" Danielle shouted angrily, more than ready for Natalie to finally fess up.

"Fine!" she shouted back, "I did it! And it worked, didn't it?! I broke you two up before and I can do it again, Danielle!" Two police officers came over and began escorting Natalie away.

As they passed Danielle and I, she looked Natalie directly in the eyes and smirked, "Game over."

As soon as she was gone, I let go of Danielle and she ran the few feet to Nash, crashing into him and hugging him tightly. He sighed in relief, clearly happy to have Natalie's grip be replaced by his girlfriend's and hugged her back.

"If it makes you feel any better," Nash mumbled into her hair, "You're really hot when you're mad." She bit her lip, trying to fight back a smile as Nash grinned, taking her face in his hand and making her look up at him. "I love you," he said and leaned down to kiss her.

~

Title/song used: "A Daydream Away" by All Time Low


	38. I Can Survive With You By My Side

-Katia-

*Saturday; 11am*

"Morning, sleepy head!" I squeaked happily when Jamie walked into the room after waking up, giving him a hug. He grunted quietly, not hugging me back and I frowned, letting go of him. "What's got you in a bad mood?" I asked, receiving no answer.

Jamie sat on the edge of the couch, putting his head in his hands. I sighed, plopping down onto the chair across from him. I didn't know why he was upset, but it was clear that it was something I had done.

~

It had been about 10 minutes and he still hadn't said a word to me and that was when I knew I was going to have to get annoying. I slid off of the chair and crawled the short distance to the couch. I laid down on the floor and scooted back so my head was between his feet.

"Are you gonna talk to me yet?" I asked, looking at him. He finally moved his hands and looked down at me for a moment before shaking his head. I quickly jumped up before he could leave the room, sitting on his lap and telling him in the most serious tone I could manage, "Well, that's too bad because I'm not moving from this spot until you do." He sighed, moving back so he was completely sitting on the couch. Even though he was mad, he still didn't want me to fall and get hurt. "What's wrong?" I questioned, earning a shrug. "I can sit here all day, Jamie. You, however, can't because you have a photoshoot to go to in-" I looked over at the clock, "-two hours. So talk."

~

5 minutes later, he was still refusing to speak and I was starting to get more agitated with every second that passed. I let out a frustrated sigh and climbed off of him, walking to the door and leaving our apartment. I made a sharp right and just walked into Danielle's place, not even thinking about knocking.

"Uh, come in?" Nash looked over at me in confusion.

"Where's Danielle?" I asked.

"Why?"

I sighed, "I've been trying to get Jamie to talk for the past 20 minutes, but he won't speak to me!"

"She doesn't feel well, so she went back to sleep..."

"Well, go wake her up!"

"Okay! Okay!" he exclaimed, jumping up and rushing into their bedroom. I heard Danielle whine and I'll admit I felt bad about waking her up, but I needed answers.

Nash came back out of the room, pulling Danielle along with him. He let go of her hand when they reached where I was standing, but she kept moving, shuffling past me and out of the apartment.

-Jamie-

"Jamie Christian Follese!" Danielle shouted groggily as she burst through the door, making me jump, "You better have a damn good reason for not talking to Katia!"

I truthfully wasn't really mad at her; just disappointed.

"I don't know why you're ignoring her and I'm too tired to care," she continued loudly, "But I swear on my career that if you don't tell her everything that is going on in that small, small brain of yours, everything we saw on Criminal Minds last night will seem like a fucking picnic compared to what I will do to you." She left just as annoyed as she came in, leaving me to wonder what the hell just happened.

-Katia-

"He's all yours," Danielle stated plainly, walking back inside the apartment. She didn't bother looking at Nash or I, she just trudged over to the couch and grabbed a pillow, throwing it on his lap and laying down to watch TV.

"Thank you," I mouthed to him as he began playing with her hair. Nash smiled and nodded slightly before I left the apartment.

I stood in front of my door for a minute, taking deep breaths before finally mustering up the courage to walk inside. Even though I was hoping whatever Danielle said to him worked, I was beyond nervous about why he was so upset with me.

I quietly entered my apartment, only to find Jamie was no longer sitting on the couch. I heard the refrigerator door close and Jamie talking to himself.

"Quit being a dick, Jamie," he whispered, unaware I was in the next room, "She loves you and you love her. There is no reason you can't talk to her about this."

I heard him start walking toward where I was, so I opened the door and closed it again so he would think I just came back. As soon as the door shut, I turned and my eyes met Jamie's. I stared at him, suddenly finding myself unable to talk. He wasted no time, however, quickly walking toward me and embracing me in the tightest hug I've ever gotten in my life. I hesitantly hugged him back, but not nearly as enthusiastically as I had half an hour ago.

"I am so, so, so, so, so sorry," he started rambling immediately after letting go of me, "I know I shouldn't have, but your Twitter was still logged in on my computer and I didn't mean to look and I don't know why I did but I did and I don't understand why people are saying those things about you and then a box fell out of the medicine cabinet and y-you promised me that you wouldn't hurt yourself anymore, Katia, you promised and I know I shouldn't have taken my feelings out on you the way I did, but yo-you promised," he finished in a whisper, his voice breaking.

As shocked as I was about him finding out, it absolutely broke my heart hearing and seeing how devastated he was.

"Jamie," I shuddered, "Sit down." He looked like he was about to pass out and he just fell onto his knees right where he was standing. I sat down in front of him and took his hands in mine, holding them tightly.

"You p-promised," he stuttered quietly, his voice shaky.

"I know I did, Jamie, and I'm sorry – I really am – but I couldn't stop myself," I mumbled, "Nothing I do is ever good enough for them and I just wanted to feel better."

"B-but you were doing s-so well."

I smiled sadly, "No, I wasn't, Jamie. I was just really good at hiding it."

I sighed, lifting the hem of my shirt and pulling down on the belt loop of my shorts, revealing a mess of both old and new cuts on the skin covering my hip bone. He gently held my hip and ran his thumb across the uneven skin, frowning.

"Y-You promised," he repeated for the fifth time, sniffling and finally looking up at me.

"I know," I whispered.

I took his face in my hands and wiped his cheeks. I shuffled a bit so I was now sitting in his lap, laying my head on his shoulder and lightly drawing circles with my fingers on his lower back.

"Why do you believe them?" he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence, finally able to speak without stuttering. I didn't say anything – not because I was afraid he wouldn't like my answer, but because I genuinely didn't have one.

I don't know why I let people's rude comments get to me. I try not to, but I can't help it. I suppose it's kind of like an addiction or a force of habit in that way. No matter what I do to try and get away from it, it always finds a way to creep back into my mind.

"It's not true," he said, holding me closely, "Every single word of it isn't true. You are the most beautiful and funny and talented and passionate person I've ever met and I don't understand why people can't see what I do. They don't get to see the way your eyes light up when your favorite song comes on the radio and they don't get to watch you dance along to it like I do. They don't get to see how your smile puts me in a good mood after a long day of working in the studio and they don't get to feel the way you hug me every day when I walk through the door. They don't get to hear how contagious your laugh is and they don't get to see that no matter how bad the joke was, everyone in the room laughs when you do because of it. They don't understand how much I love you because what happens out there is nothing compared to what happens inside of these walls."

I'm sure he could have rambled on and on about why he loved me, but I'd heard enough. I moved back to look at him and smiled slightly.

"I love you, Jamie," I told him.

"I love you, Katia," he said, kissing me, "So much."

Suddenly, we heard our phones go off simultaneously and recognized it as our Twitter notifications. We typically would have ignored them during a moment like this, but when they kept going for a couple minutes after, we gave in out of sheer curiosity.

We stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting down and grabbing our phones off of the coffee table, going to Twitter. My notifications were blowing up with apologies and words of encouragement – as were Jamie's – but Danielle's Twitter handle was in front ours. Jamie tapped a tweet and it was a reply to something Danielle had tweeted with a video attached.

@MissDanielle137: Things I'm seeing daily are not sitting well with me and everything I have to say was too much to type, so here.

Since our names were being mentioned in tweets, it was pretty obvious that the video was about us, so Jamie went into the bedroom to get his laptop so we could watch it. Once on Twitter, he went to Danielle's page and clicked the YouTube link in her tweet.

When the page loaded, Danielle was wearing the same clothes we just saw her in, sitting on the floor, and leaning against the couch.

"I'm too sick to be making this video," she muttered, "But whatever. It needs to be done." She sighed, attempting to collect her thoughts, "Hey, guys. I know I hardly make videos anymore, but I needed to film this right now even though I'm not feeling well because quite honestly, I'm getting tired of all the bullshit I've been seeing on Twitter lately. I'm sorry if this is like, 20 minutes long because I could literally go on about this forever and I can't be bothered to edit it. Anyway, I wanted to do kind of like an interactive thing, so let's just get into it." She took a drink of her orange juice before going on, "I want you to go to your Twitter page and find the last thing you tweeted about Jamie and Katia. Now, I want you to read that tweet – in your head, out loud, to your teddy bear; I don't care – and I want you to determine whether that tweet is positive or negative. If it's positive; Congratulations, this video isn't about you because you're a decent fucking human being. If it's negative; Stay put because we need to have a little chat. I want you to read that tweet again and ask yourself: 'If I was dating someone famous, would it make me feel good to see someone say this about me?'. If your answer was yes, leave now because you are a fucking liar and I am not gonna deal with whatever ignorant comments you feel the audacity to think I give a shit about. If your answer was no, then why the hell are you saying those things to Kat? Like, I just-" She paused, taking a breath to calm herself. "I don't understand – I really don't. And I don't know if she's going to watch this and if she does, she's going to kill me for saying this, but oh well. If you've never had to watch your best friend relapse or break down and cry until she can't cry anymore, I genuinely hope you never have to because that shit is the most heartbreaking thing I've ever experienced. And as much as it annoys me to admit, I know that this video isn't going to change some people's minds or make them stop, but if you get anything out of this, please just try to understand that she doesn't deserve all this – neither of them do. Katia is one of the most amazing and ridiculously funny people I know and she is also a very talented drummer and I am honored to have her play for my album. I can only hope that one day, you'll realize how happy she makes Jamie and how much his confidence has improved because of her. I don't think I've ever met a couple that love each other as much as those two do and I just want everyone to be able to see that." She smiled and ended off the video, "I guess that's really all I have to say on the matter for now. Um... Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has been so supportive of not just myself during the making of this album, but also of the band and their music and our relationships. I'll try to maybe film like, a cover or a Q&A or do a Twitcam or something soon, but until then, I'll see you on Twitter." She blew a kiss and the video ended and Jamie and I kinda just sat there speechless for a moment.

"I don't know whether I want to kiss her or kill her," I laughed quietly after a couple minutes.

"How about we kiss her, then kill her?" Jamie suggested, grinning evilly. I smirked and he set his computer on the table in front of us before standing, pulling me up with him, and we went over to her apartment.

We walked in and she looked at us, smiling sheepishly and standing as we made our way to her. I gave her a smile and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"I love you," she smiled into my shoulder before pulling away.

"You know," Jamie said, wrapping his arms around her, "We originally planned to come over here and kill you, but I think we just silently agreed that it was better to keep you around. Not everyone would do what you did for us, and I love you very much."

"I love you too, Jamiebear," she giggled.

"Plus, Nash would have our heads if anything happened to you on our watch," he chuckled.

"Damn right, I would," Nash laughed, walking into the room.

~

-Danielle-

*Saturday; 10pm*

"Guys!" Jenna called from the living room, "It's about to come on!" Nash and I rushed into our living room, gave everyone their drinks, and sat down on the couch, waiting for the show to start.

A few minutes after the introduction, the show cut straight to their one-on-one interview with me.

"Is that really what I sound like?" I accidentally asked out loud.

Nash chuckled and kissed the side of my head, "I think you sound cute."

"Yeah, you better," I mumbled, laughing quietly.

Next came Jenna's interview, then Katia's, Caity's, Maren's, Cameron's, Ryan's, Jamie's, Ian's, MacKenzie's, and finally, Nash's.

"Hi," he smiled awkwardly, "I'm Nash Overstreet and I am the guitarist for Hot Chelle Rae."

"Tell me about your relationship with Danielle," Angie told Nash from off camera. His face almost lit up when she said my name, kind of like mine does when someone mentions him. I could hear the smile in Angie's voice, "You love her?" I smiled, laying my head on Nash's shoulder and squeezing his hand. He kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer to him.

He smiled and nodded slightly, "I love her. I don't know how else to describe it. When I wake up every morning and her face is pressed against my neck, I can't see myself with anyone but her. She makes me fall more in love with her every day and I don't think she's ever going to stop. That girl never ceases to amaze me and I hope that this album gives her everything she could ever want because she deserves the world." I smiled again, quickly wiping a tear off of my cheek and lifting my head to look at him.

I kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you more," he replied quietly, kissing my forehead.

~

-Nash-

"I understand it took quite the effort to get her to be your girlfriend," Angie laughed quietly.

"She's stubborn, that girl," I chuckled, "But after realizing just what she went through in her last relationship, I really don't blame her. I have her now and that's all that matters."

The show cut to Angie asking Danielle, "Do you ever regret not agreeing to be Nash's girlfriend earlier?"

She laughed, "If you asked me that a couple months into the relationship, I probably would have said yes, but I honestly don't."

"Why not?"

"He fought for me," she replied, smiling, "And that's not something I'm used to." She took a moment to think before continuing, "Every day, he's showing me that not every relationship has to be like what my last one was. He's taught me that it's okay to argue and it's okay to have days where we absolutely cannot stand each other because at the end of the day, I love him and he loves me, you know? Like, you can do everything to convince yourself that you love someone, but if you're scared to even be in the same room as them, that's not something you should be putting yourself through – and it took me a very long time to understand that. Being in this relationship and just seeing how Nash is with me has taught me that no matter how many times someone tells you they love you, if they're not doing anything to prove it, they don't. I think the most important thing he's done for me isn't buying me anything or writing me a song – I think the most important thing Nash has done is show me that I don't have to be scared to fall in love again," she smiled, "And I can finally say I'm not."

The show went to a commercial and the group let out an "Awe!" I chuckled, holding Danielle tighter and kissing her cheek.

"I love you," I smiled when I pulled back.

"Oh, I know," she smirked, "How could you not after that speech? I think I just won Girlfriend Of the Year right there." Everyone laughed and she smiled proudly, laying her head back on my shoulder.

~

Near the end of the episode, there was a scene of Danielle staring at herself in the mirror before our album release party for Whatever. By this time, she was sitting straight up with her head tilted slightly, watching the TV carefully and it was very obvious she didn't know they were filming her at the time.

We heard a voice over of Danielle saying, "You always hear about girls hearing or reading these awful things about themselves and it's like, 'They don't know me. How can they be saying these things?'"

She nearly choked on her breath before she got up and quickly rushed out of the room without a word, but none of us followed her. Partly because it was clear she needed time to come up with what to say about what was coming, but mostly because we wanted to know why she didn't want to be in the room when we found out what exactly that was. The screen cut to her and she was smiling sadly.

"And the thing is... There comes a point when it becomes too much. I know there are going to be people who watch this and think 'Yes! What I said got to her!', but I don't think they realize that calling someone fat or ugly or worthless isn't something to be proud of," she shook her head. "It's hard-" She paused and cleared her throat, looking down at her hands and you could tell she was trying not to cry before she continued, "-It's hard looking at a fan and telling them not to let comments from people who don't know them get to them when I can't even do it myself."

There was silence for a moment before we heard Angie ask carefully, "Does it effect the way you feel when Nash calls you beautiful and things like that?"

She took in a shaky breath and wiped her cheek, smiling sadly again and barely nodding, "Yeah... There are some days when I look in the mirror and I absolutely hate what I see, you know? And I don't understand why a guy that could have literally any girl he wanted would want someone like me. I can't put on any given outfit and convince myself that I look good in it because I don't see a nice body or nice skin or nice hair or anything. I look at myself in the mirror and all I can think about is why I let myself eat so much that day or why I let myself buy a dress or a shirt that clearly doesn't suit me. And I hate feeling the way I do about myself – I hate it. I'm not this 5'9'', 100 pound, skinny model, and it's always in the back of my mind that he's going to want that one day and leave because I can't give it to him. And that absolutely terrifies me."

The episode ended not long after and we all just sat there in shock.

"Wow," Ryan whispered after what felt like two hours of silence.

"I can't believe I didn't know," I muttered, covering my face with my hands and leaning back against the couch.

"We didn't know because she didn't want us to," Jamie sighed, "In case you guys didn't notice, she's really good at hiding her feelings."

I quietly excused myself, getting up and going to look for Danielle. I finally found her in our bedroom, sitting on the floor in front of the mirror, leaning against the bed. I sat down in front of her so she couldn't see herself anymore. She opened her mouth, but I didn't give her the chance to talk.

"Maybe I don't understand why body image is so important to you and maybe I don't understand why people want to make your life miserable because of it," I told her. "But what I do understand is why I think you're beautiful and it's not because I love you because even if I didn't love you, you would still be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Maybe your hair doesn't cooperate some days and maybe your skin has a few bumps here and there and maybe your stomach isn't as flat as you want it to be, but so what?" She looked down and I took her face in my hands, making her look back at me before continuing, "Maybe you're not perfect, but you're perfect to me and I am gonna do everything I can to help you realize that, okay?"

Danielle nodded slowly and her eyes started to get watery and I think that's when I realized she's not as strong as she looks. I pulled her onto my lap and just held her as she cried, knowing that was all she really needed right now.

~

Around 15 minutes later, Danielle ended up crying herself to sleep, so I picked her up carefully and laid her on the bed. I left the room for a moment to see if everyone was still here and they were.

"Is she okay?" Caity asked upon seeing me come back into the room.

I shrugged, "She's getting there."

"Where is she?" Ian asked, his concern very obvious.

"Sleeping," I answered, sighing, "She needs it; I think we all do." Everyone was quick to agree and made their way to their own apartments. I locked the door behind them and went back to my room.

I saw Danielle had buried herself in the blanket and chuckled at how she had only woken up for that reason. I climbed under the covers and held open my arms slightly when I realized she was still awake.

"Come here, babe," I whispered. She immediately scooted into my arms and I held her closely. She sniffled quietly and I said, "Danielle-" She cut me off, obviously knowing what I was going to say.

"I'm not cut out for this life, Nash," she said, rolling onto her back, "And your career is just taking off and you don't need some broken girl who can't handle a little criticism holding you back."

"Danielle," I stated firmly, "A little criticism is telling you something doesn't work in one of your songs, not calling you fat or worthless. That's not criticism, that's being an asshole. You can't give up on everything you've been working for just because a few people try to keep you from doing it." She looked at me for a moment before sighing and rolling back on her side and laying her head on my chest. "I love you," I said quietly.

"I love you too," she mumbled just before falling asleep again.

~

Title: "Two Worlds Collide" by Demi Lovato


	39. There's Nothing I'm Running From

-Nash-

A couple days later, I went with Danielle, Angie, Jared, and Michael to the recording studio so she could get started on her album. Danielle had asked me to go with her, of course; It wasn't like I just invited myself. She was still a little iffy about continuing with music as a job and not just a hobby, but she agreed to make the album and see how things went from there.

"I hear you've written a new song since you were last here?" Justin asked her.

"I have," she replied, smiling slightly.

"Why don't we start off with that one and go from there?"

"You wrote another song?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. Danielle nodded and without explaining further, grabbed a bottle of water off the table and walked into the recording booth with Michael.

"She didn't tell you about it, huh?" Justin chuckled.

"Nope," I sighed, laughing a bit as well.

"You'll love it, don't worry," he smiled.

"Does she do that a lot?" Angie asked from where she was standing with Jared not far away.

"What?" I asked, looking over at her.

"Not tell you about songs she's written?"

I chuckled quietly, "Only when they're about me."

I faced Danielle again as she put the headphones on and stood in front of the microphone.

"Ready?" Justin asked her to which she nodded and he hit play on the track. She began fidgeting while she waited a few seconds and then started singing.

My hands, your hands tied up like two ships  
Drifting weightless, waves try to break it  
I'd do anything to save it  
Why is it so hard to say it?

My heart, your heart sit tight like book ends  
Pages between us written with no end  
So many words we're not saying  
Don't wanna wait 'til it's gone  
You make me strong

I'm sorry if I say I need you  
But I don't care, I'm not scared of love  
Cause when I'm not with you, I'm weaker  
Is that so wrong?  
Is it so wrong that you make me strong?

Think of how much love that's been wasted  
People always try to escape it  
Move on to stop their heart breaking  
But there's nothing I'm running from  
You make me strong

I'm sorry if I say I need you  
But I don't care, I'm not scared of love  
Cause when I'm not with you, I'm weaker  
Is that so wrong?  
Is it so wrong?

So, baby, hold on to my heart  
Need you to keep me from falling apart  
I'll always hold on  
Cause you make me strong

I'm sorry if I say I need you  
But I don't care, I'm not scared of love  
Cause when I'm not with you, I'm weaker  
Is that so wrong?  
Is it so wrong?

I'm sorry if I say I need you  
But I don't care, I'm not scared of love  
Cause when I'm not with you, I'm weaker  
Is that so wrong?  
Is it so wrong that you make me strong?

I'm sorry if I say I need you  
But I don't care, I'm not scared of love  
Cause when I'm not with you, I'm weaker  
Is that so wrong?  
Is it so wrong that you make me strong?

"Awesome!" Justin beamed when the track stopped, "Come here and we'll play it back and fix anything you feel we need to."

She took off her headphones and walked into the room as casually as she walked out. When she saw the look on my face, however, she smiled shyly and looked down at her feet – kind of like the way she does when I tell her I love her. I went to stand up so she could sit down as she made her way over to us since there were only two chairs in the room, but she shook her head.

Danielle sat herself down on my lap and I chuckled, wrapping my right arm around her waist and letting my left arm rest across her stomach as she swung her legs over the arm rest and laid her head on my shoulder. She began lightly tracing my angel wing tattoo while Justin played the track with her vocals on it and I could feel her shaking the chair as she moved her leg to the beat.

"Any changes you'd like to make?" Justin asked when it was over.

She lifted her head and asked, "Can you overlap things here or would I need to sing it again over the part?"

"I can do it here," he smiled, "What are you thinking?"

"The very last repeat of the chorus over the last two words of the line before," she answered before singing, "Is it so wrong that you make- I'm sorry if I say I need you." Justin made the adjustments and replayed that portion of the song until the end and she squealed, "Perfect!"

"So you think it's good to go as is?"

"I know it is," she smiled proudly.

"Wow. One shot and it's album ready – that's impressive. Don't ever let her get away from you, man," he chuckled, looking at me.

I smiled, "I wouldn't dream of it," kissing her cheek.

~

"How about we do A Little Too Not Over You next and then we'll be done for today?" Justin suggested. I felt Danielle tense up, but she reluctantly agreed. "We don't have to of you don't want to," he added sympathetically, "If you need a break, we can call it a day right now."

"No, it's fine," she laughed nervously, "I'm gonna have to do it eventually. I just didn't think I was going to get this worked up about it is all, but I can do it." She went to stand up but I held her down.

"I know what you were feeling when you wrote it," I said quietly before she had the chance to speak, "I felt the same way when I wrote Let Her Go during that four months too and as hard as it is for you to sing it, it's not easy to watch you fall apart because of it either. But that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve to go on this album."

She looked at me and asked in a whisper, "Will you go with me? I just... I need you." Her voice cracked and she looked down, obviously not wanting Jared or Michael to catch her crying on camera.

I picked her up and stood up, setting her in the chair before kneeling on the floor in front of her. I took her face in my hands and wiped her cheeks with my thumbs before pulling her forward and kissing her.

"If that will make you feel more comfortable, yes," I told her. She nodded slightly and I took her hand pulling her up and into the recording booth with Michael following quietly behind us.

"Whenever you're ready," Justin said while she put her headphones back on.

Danielle faced the microphone and I stood behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself so her voice wasn't shaky during recording.

"Okay, go," she told Justin.

~

"Alright," Justin said after she finished recording, "I think we're done for the day. We'll listen to playback when you're ready, okay?" he asked Danielle to which she nodded in response, leaning against me.

"Actually," I said while I held her closely, "I think we should record Why Don't You Love Me."

"It's already on your album though..." Danielle trailed off, clearly confused.

"I know, but that's with Ryan and Demi singing. I think we should put you and me singing on your album. It could be like a bonus track," I suggested.

She shrugged, "I'm down."

"Okay," Justin nodded, "We'll record that and then we'll be done for today." I grabbed a pair of headphones and put them on, turning back and facing Danielle as we stood in front of the microphone. "Ready?" Justin asked us. We nodded and he started the track. I kissed her cheek quickly and she looked down, smiling as I began singing my part.

I pulled out my phone as Danielle was singing the second verse and made an Instagram video of her. She wasn't paying attention to anything but singing, so she didn't realize I'd even recorded anything until after the song was over and she started getting notifications from Twitter.

@nashoverstreet: She makes me look so bad

She laughed, "Thank you, but now I have to get payback." She took her phone out of her pocket and went to Twitter. She tapped the new tweet button, opened her camera, and we took a selfie before leaving the room. As we were listening to playback, I got a notification from Danielle and smiled at her.

@MissDanielle137: These are the faces of two very tired but excited people @nashoverstreet

~

After we made the unanimous decision that the track was ready for the album, we left the studio, saying goodbye to Angie, Jared, and Michael as well. It was pretty late and on the ride home, I was holding Danielle's hand and felt her grip loosen.

When I got to a stop sign, I looked at her and realized she had fallen asleep. I chuckled as I turned into our apartment building's parking lot. I quietly got out of the car and went to the passenger side door. I carefully unbuckled Danielle's seat belt and put her bag in her lap before reaching back in and picking her up. I closed the car door and she stirred a bit, but luckily didn't wake up.

When I made it to our bedroom, I laid her on the bed and changed into my pajamas. I looked at the girl sleeping on the bed and knelt down on the floor next to her.

"Danielle," I whispered, kissing her shoulder. She groaned quietly and turned with her back facing me, making me chuckle. "I know you're tired, babe, but you need to change your clothes. You know you hate sleeping with those shorts on."

Danielle groaned again before sluggishly getting off of the bed, getting her pajama shorts out of the dresser drawer, picking the shirt I had worn that day up off the floor, and going into the bathroom to change.

When she came back out, I raised my eyebrows at her, "You know I wore that today, right?" She nodded, still standing in the doorway of the bathroom. "So why are you wearing it to bed?"

"It smells like you," she said quietly. I couldn't help but smile at her as she made her way back across the room.

"You know what else smells like me?" I asked when she stopped at the edge of the bed. She looked down at me as if to tell me to go on and I pulled on the hem of my shirt so she landed on top of me and replied, "Me." She giggled and yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"You're comfortable," she sighed, nuzzling her face into my neck, making me chuckle. "Will you sing to me?" she asked.

"What song?"

"Let Her Go."

I cleared my throat quietly, "Are you sure you don't want me to sing a different song?"

"Hey, I had to record A Little Too Not Over You today," she sassed sleepily. I rolled my eyes and grinned, squeezing her waist a little and started to quietly sing to her.

After the song was over, she rolled off of me and pushed herself as close to me as she could get. I kissed the top of her head as she drifted back to sleep.

~

Title/song used: "Strong" by One Direction


	40. So Long Live the Fast Times

-Ryan-

"You rang?" Danielle cheerfully answered her phone.

"I think we should hang out today," I told her, "We rarely ever get to spend time together just the two of us and with the girls still at the studio, I thought now would be a good opportunity."

"I'm down." I could just see her shrugging, making me chuckle quietly. "Just give me like, 5 minutes and I'll be right over."

"Alright," I smiled, "I'll see you in a bit."

A few minutes later, Danielle strolled into my apartment wearing her pajama shorts and one of Nash's old shirts.

"Looking real classy there," I laughed as she plopped down on the couch beside me.

"You didn't expect me to get dressed up for you, did you?" she smirking, pushing my shoulder.

"Well, you didn't know what we were gonna do," I teased, "I could have been planning to take you out for coffee or something."

"But you weren't because it's 7pm," she smiled, "So what's up?"

"Nothing, I just feel like we don't spend a lot of one-on-one time together."

"Which is translated to I did something wrong, but you're nice enough to not call me out on it in front of everyone."

"You didn't do anything wrong," I shook my head then mumbled, "And Nash said I shouldn't have, so..."

"Nash said you shouldn't have what?" she asked, confused.

I sighed, "When we were on Taylor's tour and Jordan showed up – after I pulled Nash off of him, I mean – he accidentally said that Jordan almost hit you... Again."

Her eyes widened slightly, "Oh."

"And then when your show was on, you were talking about it taking a long time to understand that you shouldn't be afraid to be in the same room as someone you love and I just want to know what happened with him." I finally finished rambling.

Danielle sighed, knowing that, although I wasn't pushing her to tell me, I was going to ask her about it periodically until she did.

"When I met him sophomore year, he was a really great guy. He made me feel like a princess, you know?" she said, "But something changed when he realized he was talented. He started bringing me down a lot more and calling me names, but he never once hit me. He was always telling me I was lucky to have him because no one else wanted me and that I should have felt honored that he would even look at me." She rolled her eyes. "The first time it got physical was a couple weeks after he'd gotten signed and he'd been so busy with working on his music that I'd offered to go buy groceries for him. When I got to his house, he grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall because I 'bought the wrong kind of paper towels'," she made air quotes, laughing bitterly at the memory. "He apologized immediately after – telling me he didn't know what came over him and that he really did love me – so I forgave him and we moved on. Nothing happened until a few months later. I don't remember much of what happened that night, but I do know that he accused me of cheating on him because that's what he kept yelling before I got knocked out. I ended up in the hospital for three weeks because I'd lost so much blood. When I woke up, the doctor told me that I was lucky to be alive because 'that fall down those stairs really messed me up'. I still can't understand how people believed him. His place didn't even have stairs," she choked, taking a breath to calm herself down. "That was it for me – I couldn't take it anymore. I decided that as soon as I was all healed, I was going to leave him, but luckily, I didn't have to do much for it to happen. About a week before I got better, he got news that he was going on tour with some really popular band and told me that he didn't need me anymore and ended the relationship. A part of me was heartbroken because even with all that had happened, he did have his good days where he was an amazing boyfriend and I was going to miss that, honestly, but I knew it was for the best. Not long after that, I moved back to Tennessee and now here we are almost a year later," she laughed quietly, not really knowing how to end her story.

I was speechless. I felt a little guilty knowing something was happening to her that I didn't know about even though I hadn't seen her in nearly 12 years. I pulled her into a hug, making her smile. 

When I finally let go of her a couple minutes later, she looked at me intently.

"Why ask now?" she asked.

"It's been bothering me," I answered honestly, but my voice was quiet, "And we haven't really had time to just be alone and talk about it."

"There was nothing you could have done, Ry," she said, shaking her head, "Not from four hours away."

"Danielle," I told her, "Four hours aren't going to stop me from keeping you safe."

She smiled slightly and laid her head on my shoulder, "Thank you, Ryan."

I put my arm around her and squeezed her, "You're welcome, Danielle."

~

A couple hours later, Danielle had fallen asleep on me while we were watching TV just a few minutes before Nash and the girls got home.

"Hey, Ry," Jenna walked in and I quickly put my finger to my lips, signalling for her to be quiet and then pointed to Danielle. She laughed quietly, shaking her head, "I'll go get Nash." She came back not even a minute later with Nash trailing behind her. He chuckled, walking over to the couch.

"How long as she been out?" he asked.

"Not long," I answered, "Probably like, a few minutes."

"Thanks for keeping her occupied while we were gone," he smiled.

"Thanks for taking the girls to the studio so I could talk to her," I mocked.

"I'd say any time, but being in a car with your girlfriend is very stressful."

"Hey!" Jenna whispered, "It's not my fault you're a terrible driver!"

"I'm not a terrible driver," he laughed, "And I offered to let you take the wheel, but you refused."

"You think I'm driving around in LA traffic?" she scoffed half-jokingly, "Because I don't."

"Thanks for the ride, Nash," he copied her voice, picking his girlfriend up, "Oh, it was no problem, Jenna. Always happy to help out a friend." He left quickly, not giving Jenna the chance to respond.

When the door closed behind him, she mumbled, "Dick," and walked over to the couch, plopping down next to me. I simply laughed, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly, asking her how her day went.

~

-Caity-

"How was recording?" Ian asked as I walked into our apartment. I groaned and trudged further into the living room, throwing myself onto the couch across from where he was sitting. He smiled sympathetically, "That bad, huh?"

"I kept fucking up," I sniffled, burying my face into the cushion, "Everyone had to stay later because I couldn't get any of the chords right and I just think you should be the one to do this for Danielle because she deserves a bass player who's actually good."

"Babe," he sighed.

Ian stood up and I felt his hand pat my back as a motion for me sit up. I did and he sat down next to me, pulling me onto his lap and wrapping his arms around me tightly. I laid my head on his shoulder and pressed my face into his neck as he lightly ran his fingers up and down my back.

"So you had one bad day?" he said quietly, "That doesn't mean you should just throw in the towel. It doesn't matter to Danielle how many tries it takes because she doesn't want anyone but you playing bass on this album for her. Everyone has off days and you had just that today. This doesn't define you because you are a very talented girl and Danielle and I just want you to be able to show it to the world."

I smiled slightly, "I really don't like you sometimes."

"You only don't like me when you know I'm right," he chuckled.

I lifted my head to look at him, "I love you, Ian."

"I love you too, Caity," he said lowly, kissing me before picking me up and carrying me to bed.

~

The next morning, I felt someone shake my shoulder gently. I groaned and buried myself further into the covers and heard Ian laugh quietly.

"I have a surprise for you and in order for you to think I'm the best boyfriend in the world, you need to wake up."

"Well, you're not off to a good start with waking me up early," I sassed, repositioning myself to be on my back so I could look at him.

"Okay," he laughed again, "I'll just get to the point then. Remember our first date when you told me you wanted to be an artist?" I nodded, surprised he remembered, and he went on, "Well, before you got home last night, I got off the phone with someone I think you're gonna freak out about."

"Who?"

"Get ready and we'll go meet them," he sang happily, strolling out of the room.

I sighed, but got up and did my regular morning routine of getting dressed, brushing my teeth, putting on my makeup, and grabbing my phone off my nightstand before I walked out into the living room and Ian jumped up from the couch when he saw me. He had my sketch pad in his hand, holding it as if it were the most important thing in the world – which it was – I just didn't understand why he was the one holding it. He excitedly pulled me out to my car since his motorcycle was being repaired for whatever reason and we set off to the still unknown destination.

"You are way too excited for 10:30 in the morning," I groaned, but couldn't help but smile at him, "But you're also unbelievably adorable."

"Unbelievably adorable isn't exactly the vibe I'm going for," he pouted jokingly.

I laughed, "Then what vibe are you going for?"

"Incredibly sexy," he smirked.

"See, I would use that phrase, but I would also describe your vibe right now as a little kid on Christmas morning, so I think that would be pretty inappropriate."

"Ah, but you do not deny that you do think I am, in fact, incredibly sexy!"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

A few minutes later, Ian pulled into a parking lot with a building that had Hopeless Records' logo on the door.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, confused.

Ian held his finger up, turning off the car and quickly unbuckling, getting out and running over to the passenger side door. I unbuckled my seat belt as he opened my door, taking my sketch pad off of my lap and holding it much like he was doing at home. I slowly got out of the car and he grabbed my hand, pulling me inside.

Ian began leading me down a hallway, but I stopped abruptly about halfway down it when I saw a familiar album cover out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look up at the frame hanging on the wall and started smiling like what I'm sure looked like an idiot.

"You okay, babe?" Ian asked from down the hallway when he realized I wasn't following him anymore.

"I am staring at the gold record of the greatest album to ever grace this planet! Ask me if I'm okay again!" I said, not looking away from the wall.

"Are you okay?" a voice that wasn't Ian's asked in an amused tone, but I knew exactly whose it was.

I spun toward Ian and nearly screamed, "Are you serious right now?!"

"I'm glad you like the album!" Alex chuckled, walking toward me.

Wait a minute. Alex Gaskarth was walking toward me.

I was still frozen in shock and I could tell he knew that by the grin on his face. When he reached me, he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"It's so nice to meet you!" he said happily, "I've seen your drawings and I'm excited to get to work with you!"

"Wait, what?" I let go of him as soon as I realized what he said.

"You haven't told her yet?" Alex asked Ian.

Ian chuckled, "I thought she'd actually believe it if it came from you."

"Wait," I said as Alex led Ian and I into a conference room and we sat down, "You've seen my drawings?"

"Yeah, about that," Ian said shyly, "While you were at the studio yesterday, I met with the band and showed them some of your sketches."

I stuck out my bottom lip, "You met All Time Low without me?"

"Oh, don't worry," someone behind me laughed, "You'll get to meet them, too." I squeaked, hiding my face in my hands, as Rian walked into the room with Jack and Zack trailing behind.

"Nice of you to finally join us," Alex joked.

"You're just lucky I'm out of bed before noon," Jack retorted, sitting down with him across from me as did Rian and Zack.

"Anyway," Alex laughed, looking back at me, "Now that everyone's here, I'm just gonna get right down to why you are as well. As I've already said, we saw your sketch book and we think your art is phenomenal. I'm sure you're aware that we're recording a new album and we've been looking for someone to design the cover for us, but we haven't found anyone we really like until now."

"So what you're saying is you want me to..." I trailed off in shock.

Alex smiled and nodded, "We want you to design the album cover."

"I'm in," I said without even needing to think about it.

"You don't even know what we want you to do," Jack chuckled.

"I don't care. I'm in."

Alex laughed again, "Okay then. The album is going to be called Don't Panic but we don't really have any specific thing we're looking for in the cover art other than we'd like it to be cartoonish."

"I can do that," I nodded, "When do you need it by?"

"You take as long as you need," Rian chimed in, "We know things like this take a while and you probably won't have it done overnight, so once you feel like it's perfect, just give us a call and we'll meet back here and look at it."

I grinned as we all stood up, "Thank you so much. You seriously don't understand how much you've helped me these past few years and this is... It's just insane."

Alex simply smiled, giving me a tight hug without saying anything. As the band left, they each gave me a hug. After Zack was out of sight, I squealed quietly and grabbed Ian's face, kissing him.

"How did you even do this?!" I exclaimed.

"I know people," he shrugged casually, smiling.

~

Title: "The Reckless and the Brave" by All Time Low


	41. I'm in Love with You and All Your Little Things

-Caity-

*A couple months later*

I set up a meeting with All Time Low and I was on my way there now. It's only been a little less than two months since I was offered the job of designing their album cover and it usually takes me way longer to finish something as detailed as this, but I know it's perfect. Although, I didn't spread out the time spent on it as much as I should have.

I spent probably 7 hours a day on it that first week even though it was just coming up with the idea and drawing the outline. I had some days where I would work on it non-stop and some days where I refused to even look at it. Ian really helped me out with maintaining my sanity and encouraging me to go my own pace and that the band wouldn't mind if I spent just a little bit longer on it.

Ian and the guys had a band meeting today while Danielle had a photoshoot for her album, so I took the opportunity to go to Hopeless and meet with All Time Low. I didn't tell anyone about it simply because I was afraid that they would say they didn't like it and wanted something different. I thought if that were to happen, I would be able to just say that I didn't like where the drawing was headed and scrap it and start over. But it was done – I knew it was.

~

I took a deep breath after I parked my car, grabbing my sketch book and walking into the building.

"Hi, I'm here to see All Time Low," I said politely to the secretary.

She smiled, "They're waiting for you in the conference room at the end of the hall."

"Thank you," I smiled back, walking to the room.

"Caity!" Jack shouted, nearly falling off of his chair. He rushed to hug me as did the other guys, making me laugh.

"Okay, boys," I said when we all sat down, "I want to get right to it because I currently feel like I'm going to throw up and I don't want to do it in front of you." I opened up my sketch book as they watched eagerly. "Now, I hope this works because I don't know if I'm going to be able to do anything better than this – no pressure," I smiled sweetly. "Rian, drum roll." He happily did so on the top of the table as I announced, "Gentlemen, I present to you the possible cover of Don't Panic." I turned the book around and their jaws dropped.

"That is ridiculous!" Alex exclaimed.

"Dude!" Jack said loudly, "That's crazy!"

"Does that mean you like it?" I asked nervously.

"We love it!" they said together.

"This is beyond anything we even thought of," Zack nodded approvingly.

"Yeah, all Jack came up with was hiding dick drawings everywhere," Rian laughed.

"About that..." I trailed off jokingly. Jack looked at me hopefully and I giggled, "Sorry, Jack. If you find any dick drawings, they were completely unintentional. Maybe next time."

"Seriously though," Alex smiled, "This is amazing. We'd definitely love to use it for the album."

"Then by all means, do!" I squeaked, carefully tearing the page out of the book and handing the drawing over to him, "I didn't draw it for nothing!"

"Where's Ian?" he asked randomly, taking the paper out of my hand, "I would have thought he'd been here!"

"Oh, the band actually had a meeting today and one of my other friends had a photoshoot, so no one actually knows I'm here."

"What?! Who were you supposed to celebrate with?!" Jack yelled, jumping up.

I smiled a bit before shrugging, "I didn't want them to be here in case you didn't like it."

"Well, call them!" Alex demanded, "Have them come over!" I laughed and pulled out my phone and calling Ian while Alex ran out to tell the secretary to send them back when they arrived.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey!" I chirped, "Are you home yet?"

"Yeah, we just got back about 5 minutes. Where are you?"

"I'm at Hopeless. Gather everyone up and come here. I've got a surprise for you," I ended the call before he could respond, excited for how they would react – especially Danielle since All Time Low was her favorite band.

~

Around 10 or so minutes later, we could hear everyone walk in since they were talking quite loudly and the building wasn't that big.

"Do you think All Time Low are here?!" Danielle squeaked optimistically.

Nash chuckled, "I don't think so, babe. They're probably playing a show or something."

"Don't you think that if they were playing a show right now, I would be there?" she sassed. The guys and I snickered quietly as they made their way down the hall and I walked out of the room just before they got there.

"Hey, guys!" I grinned widely, desperately trying to hide my excitement.

"Hey, babe," Ian said, kissing my cheek, "What's going on?"

"Caity!" Danielle squealed, "Did you see this?!" She was staring at the Nothing Personal record hanging on the wall.

"I did, but my surprise is better than that!" I grinned, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the conference room. As I had expected her to, Danielle screamed, instantly slapping her hand over her mouth.

"Whoa," everyone else said slowly.

"Nash," Danielle said into her hand, "Pinch me."

"Danielle-" Nash started before she cut him off.

"Nash!" He quickly complied and she squeaked, "Ow! Okay, I'm not dreaming."

"Wait!" Alex suddenly shouted, "I know you! You sang Therapy on Taylor Swift's tour!" She nodded happily and he rushed over, giving her a bone-crushing hug.

"Um, Alex," Jack spoke up, "I think you're smothering her."

"Don't ruin this for me, Barakat!" she shouted, her voice muffled by Alex's shirt, making us laugh as her let go of her.

"You absolutely killed it!" he gushed, "I've heard a lot of covers of our songs, but that one is by far my favorite."

Danielle looked at me desperately, "Caity, why didn't you prepare me for this?"

"I wanted you to be surprised," I smirked, "And it looks like I did a very good job."

"Alright, alright," Ryan chuckled, "Why are we here?" Alex went back to the table and held up my drawing, smiling widely.

Everyone's eyes went wide and Danielle yelled, "It's the album cover?!"

"It's the album cover!" I confirmed, causing them to attack me with one of our famous group hugs.

~

-Danielle-

*Two weeks later*

"Danielle!" I heard Katia scream from where she was sitting in my living room, "Oh my God, Danielle!" I jumped, dropping the plate I was drying on the counter and spun around as she ran into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly, "Who's dying?"

"You're about to!" she squealed happily, "Your album just hit number one on iTunes!"

"You-You're kidding, right?" I asked in shock, rushing over to her, "It's only been an hour!"

"I just checked it! Look!" She showed me her phone and I saw my album with #1 next to it.

"Holy shit!" I screamed.

"We've got to go tell everyone!" Katia squeaked, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door.

Everyone was outside because we'd decided to have a little picnic before my album's release party tonight. The group jumped up when they saw Katia and I running out.

"What's going on?" Jamie asked worriedly.

"Guess what album just hit number one!" Katia sang.

"Are you for real?" Jenna's eyes widened. I nodded quickly, grinning. Nash ran over to me, crashing into me and wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing me.

"Danielle," he said quietly when he pulled away, although I could tell he was beyond excited for me, "Oh my God."

I felt my eyes start to get watery and I laughed, burying my face in his shirt, "I think I'm gonna cry."

"I don't blame you," Ryan laughed as well, giving me a hug, "This is a huge deal!"

"I'm shaking so bad," I giggled, "I don't think I can make lunch anymore."

"I'll go make it!" Ian offered, giving me a hug and going inside.

"I think he just wants to get out of the heat," Caity joked.

"He should have thought about that before he suggested spending the afternoon outside," Cameron laughed.

"Let's just all go back in," I shook my head, smiling, "I don't want to have a heat stroke before the party tonight."

~

-Nash-

*At the release party*

"We go live in 30 seconds, people!" Angie announced scrambling to get last minute things done.

The show decided that they wanted to do a live show for the finale, which meant there were cameras everywhere. I honestly felt kinda bad for Danielle, who had been hanging onto my arm since the moment we got here. She was comfortable singing in front of thousands of people she didn't know, but if you put her in a room with even just ten of them, she would get nervous.

"Danielle," I told her quietly, wiggling my arm out of her grasp and wrapping it around her shoulders so she could have her arms around my waist instead, "There's nothing to be nervous about."

"That's easy for you to say," she muttered as Angie began talking to the camera, "You're used to having a bunch of cameras around."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, okay?" I assured her, kissing her forehead, "Just think of it as...a birthday party at Disneyland. A bunch of people you don't know are still gonna be there, but you can't let that ruin your fun."

She gave me a confused look, "Your analogies are so weird."

"They are," I agreed, looking behind her and smiling, "But they're also just to distract you from the real reason you shouldn't be nervous."

Before she could respond, Adrienne said, "We heard someone's album went number one this afternoon!" She spun around to see her parents, Adrienne, Keith, Anna, and MacKenzie smiling back at her.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Danielle squealed happily and hugged them all, instantly forgetting about her nerves.

"We wouldn't miss our daughter's album release party," Liz smiled.

Jason chuckled, "Yeah, and I certainly wouldn't miss out on the free food."

"Now I know where you get it from," I teased Danielle.

"I am offended..." She paused for a moment to add some sort of dramatic effect, "...that you thought I got my love of food from my mom."

Keith nodded, "She's got a point."

"And for that, I'm going to go spend time with someone who's actually understanding." Just as she said that, Katia walked by. She squeaked when Danielle grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "Katia! You're my date now!"

"Did Nash make fun of your love for food again?" she laughed.

Danielle looked at me with an amused smirk, "She gets it. Now if you'll excuse us, we have...date-like things to tend to."

"I love you!" I called after her, laughing as they walked away.

~

Around 45 minutes later, Angie went up on stage and told us was time for speeches. Katia went first, followed by Jamie, then I would go up. We knew there wouldn't be time to have every one of us go up and say something, so we all mutually agreed to have the three people who were closest to her go on stage. Nearing the end of Jamie's speech, I started to feel my heartbeat quicken.

"We are all insanely proud of Danielle for how far she's come – not just with this album, but with everything she's done in her life so far and everything she'll accomplish in the future," Jamie smiled at her, ending his speech, "And now, Nash would like to say a few words." He hopped off of the stage and gave me a quick hug as I made my way to the microphone. Jamie took his place back beside Danielle and she smiled at him, kissing his cheek. I took a deep breath, and I could tell she noticed something was up, but I tried to brush it off.

"There's not much I can say that Jamie and Katia haven't said already," I chuckled, "As Jamie said, we're all very proud of her and I'm glad this album is doing as well as it is because she really does deserve it. One thing I've always told Danielle is that if you can't find a way to say something, write a song instead and I know this is kinda supposed to be about her album, but if it's okay with her, I actually did just that and I'd like to sing it for her now."

Danielle wiped her cheek and nodded as I grabbed my guitar and a stool from the bar beside the stage. I motioned for her to come up and she smiled shyly as she made her way onstage, sitting down and looking up at me.

"I know the road up to this point hasn't always been easy and I know you struggle with a lot more than you let people believe, so I wrote this song and I really hope you'll like it," I leaned down and quickly kissed her before starting the song.

Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me  
But bear this in mind, it was meant to be  
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks  
And it all makes sense to me

I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile  
You've never loved your stomach or your thighs  
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine  
But I'll love them endlessly

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth  
But if I do, it's you, oh, it's you they add up to  
I'm in love with you and all these little things

You can't go to bed without a cup of tea  
And maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep  
And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep  
Though it makes no sense to me

I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape  
You never want to know how much you weigh  
You still have to squeeze into your jeans  
But you're perfect to me

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth  
But if it's true, it's you, it's you they add up to  
I'm in love with you and all these little things

You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you  
And you'll never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to  
If I let you know I'm here for you  
Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you, oh

And I've just let these little things slip out of my mouth  
Cause it's you, oh, it's you, it's you they add up to  
And I'm in love with you and all these little things

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth  
But if it's true, it's you, it's you they add up to  
I'm in love with you and all your little things

I watched as Jamie jumped up and handed Danielle a tissue. She laughed lightly and thanked him, wiping her tears. I smiled as I put my guitar back in its stand, going back to the microphone and facing Danielle.

"I'm guessing that means you liked it and I'm hoping that will make your decision easier." She gave me a confused look as I went on, "I always told myself I would never fall in love because falling in love only leads to broken hearts, but that was before I met you. When I met you, something inside of me said 'This girl is going to be worth it' and I knew at that moment that I would do whatever it took to make you mine. It certainly wasn't easy," I said, making her smile, "But I did it, and although we've had our fair share of fights and misunderstandings and break-ups, I am just as in love with you as I was the first time we met and I would hope you still feel the same." She shrugged and scrunched up her face jokingly, causing everyone to laugh. I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "I know you kept putting your walls up because of past relationships, but it was worth every effort to break them down and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. You are the strongest, most talented, and most beautiful girl I've ever met and I am so proud to call you mine. I've said this before and I'll keep saying it until it stops being true; You make me fall more and more in love with you every day and I want to make sure that you never have the opportunity to stop."

Danielle's hands flew up to cover her mouth when I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small box, kneeling down on one knee. Everyone but Ryan, Jamie, Ian, Cameron, MacKenzie, and her father gasped quietly while they just smiled, already knowing I was planning to propose. Danielle stared at me, tears running down her cheeks.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, Danielle Nicole Myers, will you marry me?" I asked. My heart was racing, nervous she would say no as I waited for her answer.

After what felt like an eternity, she barely nodded and I heard a muffled cry tell me, "Yes."

I smiled in relief, taking her left hand away from her mouth and sliding the ring down her finger. She looked at it for a moment before looking back up at me and smiling, putting her hands on my cheeks and leaning down, pressing our lips together. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waist as we stood up, spinning her around.

Everyone cheered loudly and Angie urged Danielle to say a few words before time ran out. I went back down to my seat while she inched over to the microphone.

"I don't think anything I have to say is gonna be able to top that," she sniffled a bit, making everyone laugh, "I know we're a bit short on time, so I'll try to make this as quick as I can. Ever since I was little, I never considered singing as something I could do as anything other than being alone in my room and dancing along to songs on the radio. And thanks to these guys-" She motioned toward us. "-I found what makes me happy. I have the most amazing support system I could ever ask for. If it weren't for them and for all the fans, I would probably be cramped up in a 4-by-4 cubicle asking myself where I would be right now if I followed my dreams. And I am so glad that I don't have to feel that way. This life is crazy, and sometimes it feels like you never get to just sit down and take it all in, but it's so worth it to me. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or next week or five years from now, but I look forward to every second of it," she smiled.

~

Title/song used: "Little Things" by One Direction


End file.
